..stephanie ann..

Washington D.C.

2010-04-15T18:30:00.005-07:00

Outside the White House with my pops

The kids at the WWII Memorial

The Lincoln at night

It's BEA-utiful

At dinner with my dad our first night there

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Changing of the Guard

Part of the Berlin Wall

At the Newseum for the 4-d movie

The Una-Bombers REAL shack. How crazy!!

The Jefferson Memorial

Dad by the George Washington statue

Eleanor Roosevelt at the FDR Memorial. She is my HERO

FDR. My favorite president

A replica of the statue on top of the Capitol

Standing by the original entrance of the Capitol

The floors all over the building were SO pretty

So was the artwork all around, EVERYWHERE

Isn't she amazing? yeah yeah i know most of my followers don't agree haha

Abe's bust. He was killed before it was finished.

All in all it was a great trip. Great bonding time with my dad, and the best experience ever!

wow

2010-04-15T17:43:00.008-07:00

so it has been... months. i have contemplated just deleting my blog, making it private and not adding anyone so no one wasted their time trying to catch up haha i guess i'll cram 3 months into one post so deal with me. hmmm.......

school: found out my adviser (accidentally) misled me and long story short i'll be a Ute until December
family: awesome, as usual. my aunt is out here from California right now, 2 time breast cancer survivor and i swear the woman i am more like than anyone in the world. i have been loving spending more time with her.
friends: i love them :) all of them, we're always on our usual crazy adventures!
random: i went to DC a while ago with my dad it was a BLAST! oh my gosh, what a perfect vacation for me. i was sick the first half but i made the best of it and started feeling better eventually.

i think the easiest way to cover so much time is pictures so here we go :)

FEBRUARY

at dinner for Tyson Petroff's birthday. SO good to have the WHOLE crew together again.

Gracie's because Jenn came back from Hawaii to visit for a bit.

white trash party with mandee and the girls

i love me some poplar and i love me some mandee

megs-keisel-ashlee-me at dinner for meg's and morg's birthday

morg, alle, amanda, and raechel

i love this girl.

the crew. i love how my coat makes me look huge haha

MARCH

brooke, nicole, and i planned the BEST surprise party EVER for the boys we all love so much.

rob and me, no matter how much time goes by he's still my BFFF

the birthday boys :)

Vegas trip with the girls (oh what a night)

more fun in vegas

st patty's day with my girls :) kings cup and green beer = awesome.

going out for alle's bday

alle - amy - mandee - laura. i love them.

cam, i love him sooooo much!

first hike of the year, up to Stephy's Spot of course

Alle's awesome birthday cake. go here to see more! senior rocks

the inside is tie-dye... alle and i have done this before but this lady is where i learned all my tricks haha

from a random night, i love my girls

APRIL (so far)

getting ready for our spring break party. PRE-GAME!!

obsessed :)

and now for the future....
tomorrow we have mandee and laura's birthday party at the VFW.
saturday my sare bear is running the SLC half marathon. i am so proud!
i sure hope to have some adventures soon!
in May a few of the girls and i are planning a trip to California.

100

2010-01-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

for no other purpose than reaching 100 posts i want to present to you the griffin family.

christmas time

2010-01-04T09:37:00.005-07:00

a few weeks ago i was lucky enough to head up to park city with some of my favorite boys to check out another scenic show. other than a mix up on DD for some of the boys we ended up having an excellent time :)

mr. nate and me.

eric, jacks, and me. funny faces.

brennan and me. love this boy through thick and thin.

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next came christmas. my camera died and amidst the mess of my room due to laundry and presents i couldn't find the charger for a few days so i have no pictures of actual christmas but here are some from the annual Fishburn Christmas Eve dinner hosted by my mom's brother this year.

my brother ben and me. crazy kyle in the background.

blurry pictures tend to happen when you have twin 9 year olds taking them for you

simon (one of the above mentioned twins) with katie and me

katie goofin' off with simon and brady

the twins made me creep in and take pictures with everyone. here i am with miranda and alison

sisters! obviously i was unprepared for the picture but it's the only one of the three of us that i have. katie - alison - me. yes, i'm the oldest although by size you probably couldn't tell.

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new years had the potential to be either a really good night or a lame night. we decided to make it a good night. we pregamed at a hotel for a bit and then headed over to our friend charlie's house for more pregaming before the big party. once again, no camera so i only have phone pictures!

the coolest girls e.v.e.r.

alle and me at charlie's. getting our game on.

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i hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday season and i hope that santa brought you everything you wished for!! now that christmas and new years are out of the way i think i'm ready for summer to be back!!

giving back for christmas time

2009-12-23T10:41:00.004-07:00

i have the two best friends ever :) a while ago, while looking for white elephant gifts for the girls party Alle and I came across these beauties...

so.... while i was doing my family stuff (details below) alle and sare went back and bought the abbey road mirror for me, and the pink floyd one for alle. they are pretty sweet.. on mine, wherever you can see the sky it is really a mirror and alle's is really cool because just the words and outline are mirrors. very awesome and i can't wait until we have them all hung up!

-------------------------------------------------

something my dad has always taken pride in when it comes to christmas is my family participating in one, two, three, or maybe even more charity events. this year we decided to raid our entire house for old coats and blankets. i was pretty shocked to see how much we had. the entire floor in our living room was covered and they were bulging out of the back of my mom's aviator (which is by no means a small car). it was a good feeling to know that at least 50 people will now be a bit warmer for the holidays.

our next endeavor was arranged through my dad's work. along with the rest of his contract team we went to the utah food bank and picked up a ton of food. loaded it all in to the back of a few different SUVs and we were off to a low income apartment complex for the elderly. being there was so crazy... we delivered food for the holidays to over 4o different apartments. there was one lady, stella, who invited us in, sat us down and started crying about how much it means to her that we come and worry about someone like her without even knowing she existed. just seeing the joy on her face as she was going through the box and seeing different types of food was amazing. better than a little kid on christmas morning. i am very happy i got to be a part of it!

after we were done delivering we went to wander around gateway for a bit. my dad handed me his debit card and let me go crazy in buckle stocking my mom up with some pretty sweet new jeans, a few shirts, and some awesome shoes. she is one spoiled woman!

then off to dinner at buca di beppo. i am not a fan of italian food, call me crazy... but this dinner was really really good. all 20+ of us shared a bunch of different dishes and some desserts. my dad got a really cool award for outstanding achievement in the contracts division. pretty sweet, and way proud of him. he rocks.

the last stop of the night was to a christmas carol at hale center theater. up until this point my day was great! but as soon as we reached the theater i felt soooo sick so i ended up leaving at intermission. not to mention, i'm not a big fan of plays. i don't know why but i have never enjoyed them. if any of you have ever been there you must agree with me. the chairs are soooooo uncomfortable. i'm really short and i was still struggling to keep my knees comfortable without hitting the chair in front of me. i can only imagine someone of a normal size.

all in all this christmas has been great. i'm so thankful for anyone who can push us to go out of our way to help others. after all, that is what christmas is all about.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

2009-12-13T11:40:00.003-07:00

so far this season i've been to two different Christmas parties! the first was with the girls. it is always so good to see them... i look forward to it every time!

the best cinnamon rolls in the world. they had to be documented. worm's mom is sooo cute and such a great cook!

chowin' down

abby and chu.

momma alle and baby chu

the coolest group of girls ever.

we had so much fun this year, it was such a great turn out. thanks to alle for helping me with the planning and to all the girls who could make it! chels, melissa, and ash reese you were there in spirit... we missed you!

the second christmas party so far was an ugly sweater party that mandee and her roommate had... such a good time!

new friends and fun memories

amanda is gorgeous and my dimple is taking over my face

grrrrrr

how 'bout a normal one?

ugly sweater crew

i hope everyone is having an awesome holiday season so far!

"out on the weekend"

2009-12-11T11:13:00.006-07:00

this weekend has a lot in store... tonight. oh tonight. i get to see...

the amazing and always awesome Scenic Byway. these guys rock my world :) on top of being excellent musicians they are fun friends that i have loved getting to know! (a hint for some girls from davis that i know follow my blog... Nick Romer - in green- is Nate Romer's older brother)

and perhaps a new fave for my hip hop experiment
Del tha Funkee Homosapien

but most importantly...

this fool, my dear friend Tyson Petroff. it has been far too long.

and....

this guy. ROBERT BLAIR SANDERSON. we have been the best of friends since junior high. as of lately we haven't been close (girlfriends are LAME) but he is going to be there tonight. last time i saw him i was quite bitter about the GF situation so i refused to even talk to him (immature, i know but it wasn't quite as petty as it sounds here, we used to talk every day then he met her and NOTHING, plus more details but i'll spare you the dirty) but i got over it and extended the invite for tonight and he accepted. i can't wait!! honestly, i just hope his girlfriend isn't there hahaha but what can ya do?

then saturday we have Mandee's ugly sweater party. i just LOVE her. the more i learn about her the more impressed i am. i know she reads this but for real, i think she is amazing.

so the other night while sare, alle and i were out and about we stopped by savers to find the most beautiful ugly sweaters we could. mine is awesome teal and black kind of striped and speckled. sarah's is cream with brown and tan speckles, and alle had a few and i can't remember which one she ended up with but they are all awesome! pictures to come for sure...

and to the girls... i KNOW i need to get the pics of our christmas party up! my work is lame and blocked USB access so i just need to take the time and do it at home, but don't think i forgot :)

i hope everyone has a fun safe weekend! be careful because mother nature is about to get in a big snowball fight with us, and she'll win!

man of the house

2009-12-07T11:45:00.004-07:00

alle, sare, and i are a package deal. can't make plans with one without all three of us being included. it's just how it is. we've bounced around boys a lot... of course there are a few that have stuck with us... tys, b, joe, linxy, etc... but now we have a man of our own and he's here to stay! skipping the dirty details... alle got a new puppy!

and by puppy, i mean 9 month old rowdy, crazy, and most of all ADORABLE german shepard, border collie, lab mix. he's quite the good looking mutt!

his name is Turk but feel free to call him turkey, reindeer, turkleton, little shit, or any other endearing name your heart desires.

we went to petsmart to stock up on whatever he'd need and brennan got alle this cute little tag for him... he is going to be sooo spoiled, i know it already. he only has the cutest bowls, best treats, funnest toys, and most comfortable bed... is that too much to ask?! haha

he instantly warmed up to Alle and me... of course Alle because she is his mom and dogs just know stuff like that and me because when he thought he was in trouble i was his safety haha it was so cute. he ran and jumped right in my lap and snuggled so close. i love him already. i told alle i'll be the crazy aunt that gets him out of trouble and feeds him human food and treats (but not excessive of course, wouldn't want him getting sick)

look how cute they are! can't you just tell it's love at first sight? this was the first pic of turk with his momma in his new home :)

WELCOME HOME TURK!!!

the secret of life

2009-12-01T15:53:00.002-07:00

i don't think i would ever look. one time a kid in one of my classes asked me if i had the key to make everyone get the life they desire as long as no one else was hurt and no one would ever know i did it, would i? and i answered no. he tried to justify and convince me and on and on and i still said no.

i believe in fate, chance, second chances, destiny, and change.

life isn't about having the answers. it's about figuring them out as you go along. and then finding new life questions to seek answers to. it's a never ending quest of growth, trial and error, and self discovery.

i have been at my current job for two years as of saturday. it is crazy to me. this place called BBT. i have made some amazing friends, gained some amazing real world experience, and learned a lot along the way.

i graduate in may, as i have mentioned (many times) before and although i have had a very unconventional college career i wouldn't trade it for the world. getting ahead, taking a break, and working my ass off have all worked out in the end.

with experience done and formal education coming to an end essentially anything is possible for me. but....

i don't want to know what comes next.

do i move to california... alone? with no friends? little family? and a couple grand in savings?
do i stay in utah? secure a great job here? the same old familiar life?
what about something completely spontaneous?
a service mission to another country?
buy an RV and road trip till i'm broke?

i don't know... i guess i'll find out as time continues to pass me by. this state of uncertainty is becoming all to familiar to me and i love it.

this is kind of a pointless post but i love a softer world and every once in a while something just sticks to me and today that clip happened to be it.

hope all is well in everyone's world

thankful

2009-11-25T13:31:00.016-07:00

i am thankful for...

my amazing family

my crazy friends

the magic of music

unlimited access to the beautiful places earth has to offer

an excellent education

a stable job

the ability to communicate with everyone i love

a roof over my head

our charismatic president doing the best with what he was handed

the endless opportunities our country has to offer

and many many more blessings...

2009-11-25T11:48:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

through thick and thin

2009-11-24T15:37:00.003-07:00

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart"

~Elisabeth Foley

today is a very special girl's birthday.
this certain girl just turned 22.
once again, she is one number older than me. but that's all age is... a number. chels will always be the same 18 year old i fell in love with haha
although we don't spend much time together or have much in common now there was a time when...

everyone thought we were sisters... or at least cousins
it wasn't Chels or Steph it was Steph AND Chels
a concert wasn't complete without a fellow high school pop punk lover
we'd laugh about kissing the same boys
family parties automatically included each other
meeting new boys was a daily activity...
so was the drama that came with them
trips to vegas made lifelong memories
snowboarding was always an adventure
the art of creeping was perfected
we were each others scapegoats for everything and proud to be
even the deepest darkest secrets could be shared

Miss Chelsea Ann Jones

this lady has been with me through thick and thin. we have more differences now than similarities but i know if i ever need ANYTHING from a ride home after a drunken evening to a cry session about whatever Chels would be there with open arms. and she better know it's the same in return. We work down the street from each other but yet i can still go months without seeing that face.

one day she's in jeans, a t-shirt, pony tail, and makeup-less
the next hair done up, make up perfected, and the most gorgeous combination of clothes one can imagine.
not only does her style change but that girl adapts to life in a way no others do.
from a party girl to a fiance
a drama queen to a beauty queen
a heathen to an angel
despite all the changes this girl makes in trying to better herself and her life one thing will always remain constant on that list.
F.R.I.E.N.D

happy birthday my darling
i love you!

(don't mind the repeats of the pics from older posts. they're all i have access to at work)

good morning.

2009-11-19T09:19:00.004-07:00

not long after i got to work today i noticed the red flashing light on my phone. thinking it was just a dumb email from amazon.com or something like that i just ignored it for a minute. i finally open it and this is what i saw:

below the picture was this message
"i am sexy"

haha and people wonder why we're best friends. in reality if you knew us it makes perfect sense. one thing i LOVE about alle and me is that we'd rather not do kissy faces, or poses, or in all reality, look good in pictures. cheesin' it up is more our style!

at the michael franti concert for earth day

random night up at the eden house... alle do you remember what happened this night?! WHOSE IS IT?! AND WHY WAS IT IN MY RECORD BOX?!

we really like fourth of july fireworks... and being excessively inappropriate.

another night in eden. yes, i have food in my mouth.

driving to vegas... and getting bored along the way. we had to entertain ourselves somehow!

why yes, we are captain morgan. thanks for asking.

this night has gone down in history.

way old. driving to shiny toy guns with worm.

one of the few but amazing parties at senior's house.

all in all, i think we rock.

the two i love the most

2009-11-18T09:29:00.003-07:00

i figure it's time to give credit where credit is due. i know two amazing girls that light up my day with every encounter. i don't know where i'd be without them.

they keep me sane.
they make me laugh uncontrollably.
they enlighten me more than i could hope for.
they are kind beyond belief.
they tell me when i'm being a bitch, which is all too often.
and... they love me in return.
who am i referring to might you ask?!
i bet you could never guess.

Alazar & Sare Bear

me-alle-sarah
inseparable. in sync. in love.

sarah and me hiking on a rainy monday night. her daintiness is coming to quick halt after hanging out with alle and me for a while. one tough cookie that is more girly than anyone i know. i feel like i've known her for years even though she just started coming around a few months ago. i'm glad she did :)

alle and me having fun in SLC. RoLlEr CoAsTeR ride haha we've had our ups and down. It's more like we fight as sisters now instead of friends. we're that close. and i wouldn't have it any other way. she has been my rock through a crazy couple of years!

girls night out!

2009-11-13T13:43:00.003-07:00

there was a snowboard something or other premier at a bar named sue so we decided to head up! after doing a little pregaming in the car before going in we were set! we missed all of the official festivities but still had a blast! i LOVE my girls!

most of the crew... Alle got chopped out... so sad :(
sarah - mandee- jen (above) - me - bree - jana

yeah that guy sucks for ruining our picture!

Jana - always and forever my party girl

BFFF's

my favorite couple EVER! i love bree and dylan!
____________________________________________________

there was another night that Jen and Mandee has a party at their cute little apartment... it was packed inside so we decided to move our party outside and take some pics

i LOVE this picture!
me - alle - sarah

partners in crime

me - alle - mandee - sarah

mandee and me. this girl is NUTS! everyone says she is the bossy one of their group of friends. no wonder i click so well with her! we are both LOADED with sass!!!

☮ ♥ & girls

halloweeeeeeeen

2009-11-13T13:26:00.004-07:00

this year was one of the funnest halloweens i've had in a while! actually, the day before halloween was the funnest i've had in a long time!

friday night went to liquid joes to see Scenic Byway
i can't remember if i've blogged about them before but it's the coolest band EVER! a few of them are from DHS but quite a few years older. They ROCK my world and i may or may not have a crush on a certain member (alle, don't comment and give it away). anyway...

pregaming at ben's
the statue of liberty-pretty pirate-and the incredible indian

yeah we rock. i know there are a lot of non-drinkers out there but i want to brag for a second. Jared, a friend from work, had the BEST IDEA EVER!!! to make my torch into a beer bong. i am sooo happy i did. and by "i did" i mean the guys at the hardware store did it for me.

joe and me at ben's... he didn't dress up!! LAME!

alle, me, joe riding to the bar

i don't have a lot of pictures from actual halloween night but i was a bird... alle and sarah were a hilarious plug and socket.

the weekend before the boys played a show at Boston's and it rocked. I'm so proud of them and their music accomplishments. I know i'm bias because they're my best friends but seriously they are beyond talented when it comes to music... or anything for that matter!

can't wait for next year!

☮ ♥ & beer bong torches

registration

2009-11-12T15:15:00.002-07:00

as if i haven't expressed enough...
I GRADUATE NEXT SEMESTER!!!
yesterday was the first day i could register for my LAST SEMESTER of classes but i missed out so i didn't get my first choice on a lot of my final classes but i'm still on track to get my degree.
i am taking

Theories of International Relations
Juvenile Justice Policy
National Security Policy
Social Statistics
& my senior seminar

i can't wait for those classes! every semester always has a dud that i rarely go to (research methods, BLAH) but every semester has a class that i absolutely love. the classes that define the reasons i love school sooo much.

one class this semester has become BY FAR my favorite at the U, or any college & high school. It is State and Local Government. Growing up I think anyone going into Politics thinks the grand scheme of things. being the next president or senator... this class has opened my eyes and made me realize that

a. i still have no idea what i want to do with my degree in regards to staying in politics/govt
b. that if i do decide to stay in my chosen field that state/local is the only way to go.
c. professor tanner is the best mentor ever.
d. the things i've learned in that class far surpass any curriculum, expectations, or typical school gained knowledge.

i actually strongly look forward to going to class. i was so upset last week when i missed it because i was sick. i even called my professor to tell her and she was laughing that i was so bummed. i was scheduled to teach the class on the topics of sex education in public school and English language learners in public schools. i missed it then but was able to teach last night. it was great. i don't know if it's her approach, the content of the class itself, my personal connection with her, or what it is but that class has made my entire college career worth the hassle i went through in high school to get ahead, the busy schedule i acquired through working full time from the age of 17+, and the awful commute to and from each school i went to. One class my friends... completely changed my outlook on education and the real purpose of. so a shout out to the U, the class, the professor, and GRADUATION.

☮ ♥ & education

the second best day ever.

2009-11-12T10:28:00.006-07:00

a while back i did a mass post but one part of the post had a section about the best day ever! although NOTHING could ever top that last sunday came close. it was a few of my boys, reese's girlfriend, and me... living it up at antelope island.

classic brennan haha LOVE him.

these boys LOVE jumping off things. this would be brennan

mmmm sexy shades b

there is joe, i took the pic late so he's almost landing but still a tough jump haha

he has this weird thing about refusing to make normal faces in pictures with me

JT's jump... here is the convo following. Steph "nice jump JT" JT "yeah, jump off shit for life" haha

mr jackson todd and myself.

one of my new favorite pictures. these four just happened to be standing by each other and i said "boys, let me take a picture" and this is what i got. Watch out GQ hahaha

since summer is gone and fall is coming to a quick close i figured i'd get as much play time in as possible! Within the past week i've gone to Antelope Island, Fernwood, Bear Canyon, and the Centerville Waterfall... they have all been the best adventures! here are some pictures!

sunset hike up fernwood with joe and the girls. NOTHING better...

JT and Joe climbing trees up Centerville Canyon. Definitely our classic hike.

this blackberry picture absolutely does not do this sunset justice. gosh it was AMAZING! it was really bright purplish bluish with orangish pinkish... it was BEAUTIFUL! again, from Centerville Canyon.

take care everyone! more posts to come :)
☮ ♥ & outdoor adventures

i'm not dead...

2009-11-03T16:44:00.003-07:00

i have never called into work sick EVER in my whole life. i had to today and i have been MISERABLE! i used to say i never get sick because i haven't for years but it is catching up to me now!
the month of October was a blast! tons of parties with friends, enjoying what little i have left of nice weather, and of course... one of my favorite holidays HALLOWEEN!
i will post pictures later because i want a nap right now...
but before i want each and every one of you to listen to the album Sea Change by the one and only, absolutely fabulous BECK. it has helped me through probably the craziest time of my life this past month and i hope everyone can appreciate the impact music has as much as me!

class of 2010

2009-10-01T12:30:00.005-07:00

FINALLY! i just had my meeting with my adviser up on campus. and guess what.
SHE SIGNED OFF ON GRADUATION!
BS in Political Science.
with a minor in Sociology
i feel like it has been a lifetime in the making. ever since graduating high school and getting my associates degree all i've wanted to do is get through college. since i started working full time about a month after high school it took longer than expected, not to mention my brain was overloaded from working and going to school so much that i took a year off. but here it is.
May 7, 2010
i will officially be a graduate of the best school EVER!

dainty..

2009-09-28T11:22:00.004-07:00

this past weekend was so... so... relaxing? boring? out of the ordinary? sleepy? all of the above.
i have nothing to report from the weekend. weird. no crazy stories. no drama. and no good news. boring.
however... last wednesday. GEEZ! it's a stretch to call me dainty since it doesn't happen often. after last wednesday i have come to realize the word dainty should NEVER be used for me again. After all, Sarah and Alle are alive. they take the cake. (no offense loves) haha so we decided to kill some time before meeting up with friends and i convinced them to hike up fernwood with me. They didn't want to hike up far so i decided to make my own trail. It ended up being down a really steep hill, a couple hundred feet through a stream, and then back up an almost vertical cliff type hill. None of us knew what we were getting ourselves into but it ended up being HILARIOUS!!!

alle and sarah coming down the stream

as sarah put it "i'm wearing bubble gum pink, do i look like i belong in nature?!"

i climbed straight up this. that is sarah almost directly below me. see the big branch she is holding? my foot was on that until it snapped and i had to scramble to safety a few more feet up on a rock.

while i was stuck on the rock alle tried to take a different route to try to rescue me. but i made it out on my own :)

one more thing.
one day last week my good friend brennan called me just to chat and decided to mention that BOB DYLAN! OH MY GOSH THEE BOB DYLAN is coming to Salt Air on October 19th. OH MY HELL!!! WAHOO!!! That day will go down in history as one of the most defining of my life. Since B works there Alle and i have a scheme to get there early and have a chance to meet the LIVING LEGEND! AHHHH it gives me butterflies just thinking of it. i. cannot. wait.
☮

music to my ears

2009-09-22T12:05:00.003-07:00

today chels blogged about death cab and alle blogged about simon and g-funk. i decided to copy two of my very best friends and create this post for them in memory of our trip to vegas and this being one of our many outrageous theme songs for the week.

~of montreal, the party's crashing us

just couldn't wait...

2009-09-18T10:50:00.003-07:00

everyone knows i love my family. duh. i am always going off about them. since i did a shout out for my siblings it is now time for my parents.

these two have been here for more since the day i was born. not just as parents but as friends. growing up they were never authority figures. they were the friends with the best advice, the helping hand, and the providers for anything and everything i wanted or needed. going without was never even an option in our house. i was definitely spoiled but only after i'd earned it. for example, i got a car as long as i kept it clean. if i didn't keep it clean i couldn't drive it until that was taken care of (more about my dad's crazy antics later).

here are my parents on our cruise ship just about to leave from san diego. before this trip the last time our family went anywhere together was hawaii when i was 13! so just for fun we went on the best cruise ever!

i love my birthday. it's no secret. i celebrate for weeks at a time. my parents knew how much i was dreading turning 20 (sorry about the white writing, i had a dark background at the time). so they planned an entire boating trip. invited my family, the boys, family friends, and friends of siblings to come up to echo for a great day on the lake! if anything made my day better it was them.

my mom and i have had our ups and downs. as anyone would know that has seen us together. i think she really struggled with me falling away from the church, not being domestic, and becoming independent and successful at such a young age. nonetheless she is proud of me. i went to vote the other day and she was working the polls as she usually does. one of the fellow workers asked if it was my first time voting. i proceeded to tell her that it was my fourth. she was shocked since i haven't even been 18 for four years and i'd already voted more than that? well my mom was telling me after that she felt so proud of me after that (plus i have my driver's license # memorized haha). it was just such a good feeling knowing that despite our opposites i can still make her happy. after i moved out we gained a stronger bond. after moving back home it is CRAZY how close we've become. we do laundry together, clean, believe it or not i even helped her garden (i went over 21 years of my life with out doing a second of yard work). i am way more like this woman than anyone would ever think and either of us would admit. she has been my rock, my shoulder to cry on, and my shopping partner in crime for years before and years to come.

oh gosh, where to even start with him. hands down, don't argue, i have THE BEST dad in the world. he is my favorite person EVER (sorry friends, you lose to him). there is nothing i can't say to him, i confide everything in him. he knew the first time i drank, smoked weed, had sex, failed a class, got a credit card, got a raise, changed my major whatever the case he was usually the first to know. on top of that we talk music, movies, politics, family, friends, etc... we know everything about each other and i wouldn't have it any other way. even if he didn't agree with my choices he made sure first and foremost i was safe. one of my friends' favorite things about my dad would be his punishments. if i fought with my siblings we would have to clean each others' rooms together then sleep in the same room to spend quality time together. if i slammed my door it was taken off for a week. if i yelled at my parents i had to write an essay explaining my definition of respect, word choice, and body language. he always said "make the time fit the crime". he never saw spanking, grounding, time out, etc. as a good punishment because it wasn't related to what we actually did. while watching hardball with chris matthews discussing the baucus health care plan (see what nerds we are) he told me i am his favorite person in the world to talk to and i must say he is mine.

my parents rock :)

have a good weekend everyone! be thankful for all you have because the last few days sure have taught me to be!

post secret

2009-09-17T15:23:00.003-07:00

Alle and i have an unusual obsession with TFLN, Post Secret, and other anonymous sites where people can confess, make a fool of themselves, share good info, and simply entertain. we will send each other randoms ALL the time usually by the dozens haha we both get good laughs. perhaps it makes us feel better about our lives?! perhaps they're just funny?! perhaps we're just weird?! or all of the above... who knows... anyway... i was scrolling through Post Secret just a minute ago and this one totally caught my attention. it is unlike any other post i've seen on there. usually they're confessing lies, telling embarrassing stories, and for the most part all are negative, sad, or just downright weird.

for now.

for today.
for the past hour.
this is more true in my life than it has ever been.
so thanks random poster.
i owe ya one.

rainy days...

2009-09-14T13:26:00.004-07:00

when i was little my dad had a small old blue beater truck. on days/nights like this when it would rain we would all get our pajamas on, cuddle up with blankets and treats in the back of his truck with the shell on and look at the lightning and listen to the rain beating down on top of us. all 6 of us in my family in a tiny little space but somehow this is hitting me as one of the happiest memories of my life. the lightning would strike and then one-two-three-four-five however many seconds until the thunder. we LOVED it. looking back i wish we would do that again. it's funny how the most simple things can trigger memories like that.
My family ROCKS! we're to the point now where it's not "family time" it's just "time with friends" from being together at the pond, celebrating a birthday, watching baseball/tennis/football on tv, playing any of the above all 6 of us all together... whatever. I am so grateful i have a completely active, positive, close knit family. My brother and i are only 13 months apart, Katie and I are less than 3 years, and Alison is only 15 months after her so we are all really close in age.
Living back at home has made me so much closer to everyone.
Katie just graduated from high school, is dating a way cute boy, working for kaysville rec (the place that has employed all three smith girls for years), and being the little fashionista like she does best. If i ever need a shirt, heels, an outfit or hair idea she is my go to. If i plan on going out for a night on the town i tell katie and she is so funny. she'll come up with five outfits and tell me what she thinks of each one i put on. there is NOTHING better than a little sister.
Take that back. there is NOTHING better than not just one but TWO little sisters.
Alison is perhaps the most talented girl i know. she plays any sport imaginable and plays it well. She lettered in 3 sports as a sophomore at davis and has been captains/co captains of every team since starting high school. talk about natural athletic talent. She is my little steph. all of my rebellious qualities i see in her. i'm so glad she looks up to me like she does. she has so much going for her i hope she never loses sight of what's important.
Ben is definitely the nicest guy ever. oh. my. gosh. did i say he's nice? he's NICE! one more time. ben is NICE! it's crazy to me. How did me, this sassy little creature, come out of the same parents of the most selfless, relaxed, laid back brother. it's nuts. i am SO proud of him. he is signing on buying his own house this friday. 22 years old my friends. good job, beautiful home, great friends, and has the biggest heart ever.
My Parents would take way too long to express my gratitude to them so i'll save that for a later post... next time i have a flashback to my childhood perhaps :) but that isn't to say i don't love both of them with ALL of my heart. they are the best parents ever.

bringing in the fall...

2009-09-14T11:24:00.004-07:00

just some random pics to celebrate the end of my amazing summer and beginning of my wonderful fall :)
for some reason alle is so fascinated with the fact that my family is always "partying" haha at least once a week we have a get together with friends and family for a bday, fun, softball, holiday, pretty much any excuse we can think of to have a good time. this is katie, alison, and me up at the pond for our parents' softball team party! wahoo!!!

alle, trish, and me... stressful night but good friends :)

our MUSS crew. i guess jason never ended up getting his tickets so it will be us 5 cheering on the utes at every game!

me-alle-chels... at circle lounge. a way chill night! we had to pick senior up from the airport so we couldn't party too hard but always love being with my girls!

the one and only ashlee reese turned 22 on the 2nd so as usual i planned our get together :) such a blast!

okay... last saturday (so like a week ago) we went out for my good friend jana's birthday. started out at the hotel for some pre-gaming and boy did we pre-game. gosh the stories i could tell but i'll spare you my drunkeness haha let's just say i didn't last at the bar but was fine after a few minutes of rest back at the hotel. we kept going until about 4:30. what a night.

oh ps i saw this boy: i have had a crush on him for YEARS! and when josh and i were "dating other people" he was always my boy ahhh i've missed him

all in all it has been a few past couple of weeks. alle was gone all weekend and will be until late friday night :( ben poole was saying that when i don't have my wing woman i'm a lot more calm haha hilarious! apparently we just hype each other up! love her!

all of my firsts... and i'm a senior!

2009-09-03T07:37:00.005-07:00

Well i just started my senior year at the U. I can't wait to be done! Even though i've been there for two and a half years (with one of these years not going to school) i barely decided to do a few things. A. I got my Ucard FINALLY! B. I got an ED pass so i can ride UTA for free C. decided since i may never have the chance for school spirit again i got muss tickets. my group is great and should be a blast!this picture is from two football seasons ago at the game against UCLA. we were definitely the underdogs but came back and won! Jana and i went with a bunch of friends from SL. it was the funnest football game i've ever been to. some lady in the bathroom made us let her paint our faces haha we look tough eh? anyway... should be a good, fun, exciting season especially after the success of last year! GO UTAH!!!!

on a lighter note

2009-09-01T15:39:00.002-07:00

this amazing musical masterpiece is set to release to the public on 9/22/2009...

luckily for me i have friends that are good at pirating (bad i know) no worries though... i WILL buy the album when it comes out but there is nothing wrong with a little sneak peak right?! AHHHH a matter of hours until my ipod is filled with bliss and daisy.

then... come 10/9/2009 i will be seeing them live! ahhhhh heaven...

good causes

2009-09-01T15:20:00.002-07:00

whether or not you voted for our president all of the causes mentioned are positive and show no negativity. by the parents at eagle bay elementary school in Farmington freaking out all they are doing is instilling skepticism in being positive and productive in our society where it is much needed. this video gave me the chills.... I PLEDGE!

...and i quote

2009-09-01T11:07:00.003-07:00

"but I realize that I’m one of the only things that’s being consistent in your life, and I’m not about to let you down…"

EVERYONE should be jealous she is my best friend and not yours.

section 29. light to follow

2009-08-26T10:51:00.002-07:00

a. i love polyphonic spree - they are the source of my last two titles and their music is magnificent.

b. RIP Ted Kennedy. He lost his life last night to a long battle with brain cancer. The Kennedy family is an undeniable main component to American politics the past 60ish years and with Ted's passing there are no more brothers. Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away not too long away. May everyone's condolences go out to this amazing family.

c. for myself, and i'm sure lots of my readers school started again. here is a taste of my schedule.

monday: work 8-5, public administration in local govt 6-9
tuesday: work 8-5, state/local govt 6-9
wednesday: work 8-5, sociology research methods 6-9
thursday: work 8-5, deviant behavior and social control 6-9
friday: work 8-5, PLAY TIME!
saturday: work every third saturday/homework/playtime
sunday: intro to sociology, online class. i saved the easiest for my last two semesters.

uhhhh shoot me now! you're telling me four days a week i have work/school for 10 hours a day plus commuting for at least an hour or two on top of that?! plus more work and homework even on the weekends? i just keep telling myself "two more semesters steph, you can do it. two more mother f***ing semesters and you officially have a BS in Poli Sci and Sociology" mmmm hmmmm optimism goes a long way.

d. preface: since i was young i have for the most part only surrounded myself with boys. my girls know who they are and they know i love them but it is obvious that the vast majority of my friends are "the boys". that being said i act like a boy, have the sex drive of a boy, and think (or don't think) like a boy as far as being "dumb" when it comes to relationships haha
confession: apparently when dating someone there are lines you shouldn't cross (duh right?) drunk at a bar with amazing sexy boys makes it a little harder to distinguish. last weekend i invited Blake's friend over to Alle's after the bar before i invited Blake. It would have been a few of us hanging out NOT like a one on one situation. I wanted Blake there too but just timing turned it into a big deal. I had intentions of inviting Blake but he was inside when "friend" asked what we were doing after. oh minor detail. i guess you could say "friend" and i have had our "thing" in the past. haha shoot i sound awful.
conclusions: since that night i haven't really heard from Blake. so much for hiking and homework dates OOPS!!! I never told "Bob" about him. Since it's in the past i'm leaving well enough alone and i'll try and reconcile with "Bob" by telling him the truth but spare the details. - now you all know "Tom" is Blake - *side note... morg you crack me up thinking those were real names :) love you!* and since i'm pretty sure Blake thinks i have a thing for his BF still i am cutting my losses ha no worries. Jealousy is unacceptable to me, especially when i didn't have a chance to justify myself. As far as dating goes... i'm resilient and already have a few other prospects. Ahhhh boys. love everything about them. friends, dating, hook ups, relationships, whatever. love them.

section 28. guaranteed nightlife

2009-08-24T08:12:00.005-07:00

I just had the most fun, entertainment filled weekend I’ve had in a long while.

Thursday… Iron and Wine was magnificent. SOOOO packed but I saw so many fun people and friends. Some I see all the time and others it had been years. “Tom” called me while Alle and I were on the way down and said he wanted to go with me… since we had already left he rounded up some friends and surprised me there. It was way sweet of him. Alle got to meet him for the first time and approved for the night. After the show we went to Sand Bar. Brenton's friend had an open tab so I was loving getting ANYTHING I wanted for free :) good times my friends.

Trisha and Me at Sand Bar after the show

Heather, Amelia, Alle, me, Ashley. Love these girls

Lacy, Alle, me. Party girls fo sho

ahhhh Dallas. I have missed him TONS!

Lacy, Alle, me, Bree.

Friday… I was supposed to go see Inglorious Basterds with a bunch of the boys that just moved home from summer sales but last minute Alle and I decided to go to Circle Lounge since “Tom” was there with his buddies, he owed me a drink, and I’d never been. Chels told us it was way formal so we got in our cute little dresses, curled our hair, and believe it or not I even wore jewelry only to find it was about as casual as any other bar I’d been to haha I love you Chels :) unfortunately no pictures from that night… it was pretty fun though. Not very impressed with the bar but the night was good.

Saturday… 7 Feathers Rainwater and Aye Aye played a show down at the LGBT Café Marmalade. It was so great. Alle wasn’t feeling well so she left early to get some rest. I stayed with all of the boys and you do not even understand how much fun I had. Cruisin’ home I was with Rob, Todd, Travis, Justin and Reese. As Todd put it we were “his main crew” aka closest friends in high school and in order to pay tribute we blasted RX Bandits, North Star, TBS, and other bands that defined our adolescence.

Todd loves us. We're his favorites. Ha

These boys have made the past 6 years of my life amazing.

Cuddlefest 2009

Pt 2.

Sunday… My parents are extremely active, social people. I love it. I was telling Alle the other night that them sitting home on a Friday night is about as common as me sitting home any night. It doesn’t happen often. I guess I know who I get my social habits from. Anyway… they have played in a softball league for as long as I can remember and they decided to host a party for the team up at the pond. The little shit head horse Scout decided to chase my sister, she jumped out of his way and fell onto the ground and the horse started bucking right next to her. Gosh I can’t even imagine how terrifying that would be… Luckily she didn’t get hit though. The BBQ went well, I left early to get ready for what came next and I guess as soon as I left the torrential downpour started. ha I just missed it.

Sunday pt 2… There is an amazing local band called Scenic Byway that always plays at a bar downtown called Urban Lounge. Since I barely turned 21 I got to go see them for the first time. I LOVED it. The best description Alle and I can come up with is Hip-hop/rock/and a little jazz all in one. So unique! Usually I don’t like that music but I was drunk, and a particular member of the band has caught my attention and I loved watching. The headliner was Sweat Shop Union. If you like hip-hop I highly recommend them. They put on a great show. There was the biggest creep sauce ever. Ben Poole had to keep him away from Alle and me… as we were walking out he started following us YIKES! Thank heavens for Ben.

Alle, me, Nate... what a babe.

Good concert, good friends.

friends since 2nd grade. i used to have a huge crush on this boy.

All in all I had an excellent time. Surrounded myself with amazing people. Made some great memories. And no hang over Monday morning to top it all off. I love life. It is beautiful. It is amazing. Love it.

random post

2009-08-18T14:19:00.003-07:00

my dilemma with bob and tom is still unresolved… but I appreciate the input… I realized I have links to my blog on my twitter and facebook and in case someone had wandering eyes I decided to take to take it down. updates to come on that situation.

last night I went to bed at 7… unintentionally. I guess I needed the catch up after my crazy weekends I’ve encountered since being 21. I put in fear and loathing in las vegas and was out before it even started. my parents got home around 11 and came in to say hi but my mom said I wouldn’t budge. I did wake up once during the movie only to hear this hilarious line:

“Bazooko's Circus is what the whole hep world would be doing Saturday nights if the Nazis had won the war”

you need to see the scene to go with it but for some reason in my half-conscious state of being I found it freaking hilarious.

last weekend was great. I spent Friday night with some of my favorite people.

Rob

and Reese

it was so fun just hanging out with only us. we used to be together all the time at their old house, hiking, movies, going to the pond or whatever but as we get older and have busy lives it’s hard to find the quality time we all got so used to. dinner, nature, and a movie was perfect for my chill Friday night… only in preparation for Saturday…

rob and I went hiking during the day and then went to dinner at famous dave’s. Reese had recommended the long island iced tea so I tried it. it was huge and I enjoyed every last sip. after that rob went to see his lady friend and I headed to slc to meet up with lacy. going to gracie’s was a blast. lacy and I were out of control. I think total we had 6 drinks bought for each of us. I tried a flaming dr pepper, red headed slut, a few different kinds of beers, long island iced tea, and a shot of tequila. feelin’ groovy to say the lesat. after last call we headed up to Colby and Ben’s house. two of my oldest friends that I don’t see nearly enough. there were sooo many people there and it was good seeing everyone again/meeting tons of new people. somehow I ended up giving two kids rides home that I didn’t even know and stayed with them until about 3am haha you have to love spending time in nature.

as you all know the U kicked ass in football last year. I’m not an avid follower but Todd talked me into it so I jumped on the band wagon and got MUSS (mighty utah student section) tickets with some of my faves. Todd, Travis, Justin, Jason, and Davis. Hello Steph being the only girl with quite possibly the craziest guys I know ha it should be a blast… I will actually pay attention to the games and you know I’ll be decked out in red :) first time in my life I’ve really had school spirit. I figure it is my last year of school, at least until I make up my mind on what I want to do for grad school so I need to live it up while I can.

hmmm anything else?

crazy weekend/girls’ night out with jana, chan, and lacy this weekend (invite open to any other women who want to join)

school starts Monday… social life ends. I work 8-5 mon-fri and have class from 6-9 mon-thurs. yikes. two more semesters, two more semesters… I can do it I can do it I can do it haha

oh and last week after months of huffing and puffing senior put her foot down and made me go to the doctor for my lack of breathing. I was diagnosed with asthma forever ago but put it on the back burner since it never really flared up. for some reason the past few weeks it has been awful. I had to breathe into this little contraption to show how many liters per minute I’m inhaling/exhaling. The doctor thought i was doing it wrong because i was so low so i had to keep going over and over again... annoying. i was just like "dude i can't breathe, that's why i'm here" I was about half of what I should have been. In other words for every two breaths a normal person takes I have not quite one so i have to take really deep breathes about every minute to make up for the lack of air in my normal breathing. bad news. just weak lungs. so now I’m on roids ha hilarious. second time this year (first being a roid cream for my rash –well one of them…)

talk about summer of never ending health problems for me. hopefully I don’t die this fall from overworking my poor body between work and school. wish me luck.

boating

2009-08-16T18:45:00.004-07:00

my cousin brit has been waiting so patiently for years for me to turn 21. she was one of the first to "congratulate" me on the big milestone and offered to drag my rookie butt out boating. since i needed a wingman jana came and we ended up having a BLAST! unfortunately my camera died early, and des, the girl taking pictures, in a drunken stooper threw hers into the lake ha

the wild woman and myself. LOVE her

jana and me... love her too!

the ladies of the lake

our sexy milk chocolate as brit called him

he was supposed to make a funny face but he was a little slow haha

my 21st bday...

2009-08-16T18:20:00.005-07:00

my awesome birthday celebrations didn't let me down yet again. i thorougly enjoyed myself through all the festivities. there will be another post or two with somewhat related bday celebrations but this one is already long enough :)

miss alle and me at some point during the day

beautiful jess and me at the pond for my campfire

reese is a bad ass... love him to death

i surround myself with some crazy awesome people

making faces. classic.

21st bday... beer goggles. how appropriate

close up... good lookin' i know :)

these glasses are awesome!

the aptly named crazy dave

t hirst is the only one who could keep up with the girls muahahaha

that about sums it up haha

all thanks to senior...

2009-08-11T12:10:00.003-07:00

if you know me at all you know i'm a grammar FREAK! i know i slip up at times but some things just rub me the wrong way and i can't shake the habit of noticing. i believe that grammar is a simple reflection of intelligence. for example: you would never hear a Harvard grad say "that aint nothin" or "i seen it" those two are toward the top of my list of irks.

also "you're" and "your" AHHH i know it sounds rude because almost everyone i know makes this simple mistake but if you read a sentence how it's supposed to be read "your nice" really makes absolutely no sense.

"me and...." it's either ".... and i" or ".... and me" how to tell is take the ".... and" out and see how it sounds. when i was little if any of the kids in my family would say "me and...." my dad would respond before we could even finish the sentence. example:

steph: dad can me and katie go-
dad: wait, what? don't call your sister mean. that's not very nice.
steph: grrrr dad you know what i mean. can katie and i go play with the neighbors?
dad: why of course, how nice of you to ask

also... with lack of explanation.
"there" "their" and "they're"
"got" and "have" and "i've got"
"whose" and "who's"

if you know me at all you know i don't admit when i'm wrong (most of the time) senior sent me a link and made sure to specify i need to read number 5. i realize a strong majority of people say "i'm good" and i have always chuckled about it. although i think it sounds unprofessional i now realize i was incorrect in my previous knowledge of the rule (or lack thereof) and will stop correcting anyone i have corrected before. my followers that know me from outside blogging world know you've never heard me say "i'm good" nor will you ever in the future since "i'm well" is my response of choice.

apologies to those i have ever corrected or offended on the topic.

this picture isn't something i specified in this post but i found it funny anyway... apostraphes are a different topic for a different day haha

ksl.com - Senate confirms Huntsman as ambassador to China

2009-08-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

LOVE Huntsman :) congrats! i know you'll do great... what a good place for a smart man to be. at a time when our economy is in such distress working on relations with China (having a HUGE economy) is a good step. Good for Obama on the nomination, the senate for the unanimous consent, and Huntsman for kicking so much butt and giving Utah a good name!
(i'm done with political blogs for the day haha)
ksl.com - Senate confirms Huntsman as ambassador to China

something needs to be done!

2009-08-07T11:35:00.002-07:00

regardless of your stance, or lack thereof, on health care this video makes it clear something needs to be done. seriously, let the poor woman talk! i, as you could assume, support Obama's health care program. Status quo is NOT working, there has to be some middle ground... hmmm....

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

i stand with sotomayor

2009-08-06T13:50:00.004-07:00

i know i've posted about her before but i absolutely love this woman and think she is going to be a great contribution to the supreme court. she was confirmed today with a 68-31 vote. cheif justice Roberts will swear her in on Saturday. She is the first latina and only third woman to ever be confirmed to the highest court in the land. She is Obama's first pick for the supreme court and the process was relatively smooth considering what Bush went through for Roberts/Alito (not to mention Harriet Miers... gag me). anyway... i look forward to her applying her experience from the federal circuit to the supreme court. she's led a great life, is a great person, and will do great things.

CONGRATS SONIA!!

two posts in one day... a little more light hearted now haha

2009-08-05T12:51:00.004-07:00

okay so i had to call t-mobile to find out when my sister gets an upgrade and i got on their website to look at phones and found out i had some photo album stored there. HILARIOUS! some of these are years old when camera phones were awful so sorry for the crappy quality on some but i know a few of my followers will get a kick out of them.

oh gosh, abby we were nuts on st patty's day! check out my right hand middle finger. don't hate me for posting this ha we all know i LOVE the worst pictures

chels and me at the waking ashland concert before we me the BEAUTIFUL johnathan jones (chels is that right?!)
speaking of bad pictures, chels... you owe me haha

awesome jazz fans. ash reese and me

close up of the gross finger!! it hurt sooo bad

one of the twins and me. alison giving me bunny ears from behind

crazy dave and me at the roots concert last year

random one of chels and me driving. we have TONS of these from years past.

see, anohter one. my hair was SHORT

josh and me sporting jared's sunny-g's haha

girls' night in at amanda's first place she lived after getting married

jana and me at the utah-ucla game

probably one of my favorites. Congressman Jim Matheson and me. a fellow Utah Dem

baby gracie day 1. gosh i can't believe she is two now!

for real this made me cry.

2009-08-05T09:32:00.006-07:00

as you all know i keep on the news A TON and follow a lot of compelling stories. if you've turned on your tv to any news source or looked online the past few days you've heard about the American journalists imprisoned in North Korea. These two beautiful women were sentenced to 12 years at a hard labor camp. Thanks to our constitution cruel and unusual punishment is illegal. i can only imagine their agony every day not knowing what they would be going through.

Euna Lee and Laura Ling

Thanks to the AMAZING former President Bill Clinton they were granted their freedom less than 24 hours after he arrived. Talk about a GREAT leader. With all the other problems with North Korea (nuclear arms, South Korea, etc) it is amazing that someone no longer in office can work his charismatic magic and get something SO large accomplished in such a short time.
Former President Bill Clinton and No. Korean leader Kim Jong Il

Here is what one of the prisoners had to say:

"When we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton. We were shocked but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end, and now we stand here, home and free."

TEARS ROLLING

home and free... like i ranted about in relation to Iran just imagine how it would be living in such a repressive place. gosh with so much negative in the world i'm so glad i can focus on the positives in my life. first and foremost my country. i can't even say enough how much i love this place. sure people travel the world and fall in love with other places but without a doubt in my mind this country is the only place for me. it has my whole heart. 100% completely.

this one is my favorite. i had tears rolling down my cheeks when i saw it. Gosh just look at it. how can you not be moved?!

BEAUTIFUL!

Former Pres Clinton and VP Al Gore. Both AMAZING men with a lot to offer the world even though they're out of office.

a timeline of their imprisonment. kind of blurry.

I got all of my info and pics from MSNBC.com (my favorite news source)
this is the link if you're interested.

oh and of course Happy Birthday yesterday to this man:
MY HELL HE IS SO SEXY! maybe not an appropriate reference to our President but he is amazing haha side note - he is the first president to ever make Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List. His stunning wife made it for her third year in a row.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

to sum up my 21st bday in 7 words or less

2009-08-04T14:06:00.001-07:00

bday dinner with the girls

2009-08-01T16:31:00.004-07:00

every time one of the girls has a bday i try my damnedest to get everyone together. sometimes i succeed sometimes not so much. i was sooo happy with the turn out i had for mine and amanda's combined dinner. it ended up being a blast and as usual sooo good to see the ladies again!

all of the girls after dinner, i hate how i'm leaning over!

chels and me

Amanda, me, and Raechel... we go back to 7th grade!!

i am always happy about something :)

thanks for a great dinner girls! you're the best!

if you want to go where they chain up the sun see fernando

2009-07-28T07:04:00.003-07:00

well...

i am officially moved back in with the parentals. joe and my little sisters helped me move A TON on saturday and sunday and we got it all done. they are the best. since my room had an orange wall and my old bedding was bright green my mom bought me the cutest new set and i absolutely love it. a few more wall decorations and some accent pillows and my room will be good to go.

just when it came time to unpack my parents decided to pack up and take my little sister to south dakota. sounds boring right? not quite... check this link. If any of you know my sister Alison the first thing you'd know is that she is perhaps the world's gratest athlete haha okay maybe that is a little over zealous. anyway... if you read the link you know but if not my sister's team out of all of the comp teams from Utah was one of two to make it to Nationals. So far they won both of their pool play games placing them in the top of the tournament play. out of the WHOLE COUNTRY!!! The only championship higher is NCAA now that softball is out of the olympics. i am VERY proud of her.

along with lexi, and jenn i have joined the twitter group (sasmith88 for those that also have it. FIND ME). i was skeptical thinking it was a whole site just for facebook status updates but i love uploading pics, attaching links, re-tweeting, direct messaging... everything. definitely a band wagon i'm glad i jumped on.

oh oh oh i almost forgot. i mentioned i had a specific goal for moving to california and the best news ever is that i can now start reaching for that goal from UTAH. The organization just opened a chapter out of salt lake. i talked to the president and with my (almost) Poli Sci degree and accounting experience he said they would have more than enough for me to do if i wanted to.

all in all life is good. i found an amazing boy and things are going really well, i've only been at my parents' for a few days but i am liking it so far, i turn 21 in less than a week (i've been waiting my whole life), and summer semester is almost over so i can enjoy every night of my summer break until the end of August.

some major changes...

2009-07-16T07:29:00.002-07:00

so within the last couple of weeks i have made a few big decisions. they are all separate but all linked together.

- i am moving back into my parents' house to save money among other reasons.
- i am taking a lot more classes than i typically have been in order to graduate in may.
- i have rekindled an old friendship that i have missed so much with someone who supports me more than wholeheartedly when trying to reach my end goal.
- i am moving to the following lovely place come may 2010.

Venice Beach CA... when rob and i went to cali back in march this was definitely my favorite city. i have always secretly wanted to move to cali... so when were stopping at each place along the way i thought long and hard about if i could see myself simply visiting or actually making a permanent move. one step onto the board walk and i was SOLD on this city. the people, the atmosphere, the beach, just everything was so me.

by the time i move i will have 5 years of accounting experience under my belt, a few years of working for the city recreation dept, and a bachelor's degree in political science. i figure i will never again be able to make a major life choice like that unless i do it now. so i will have no debt, no boyfriend, no obligations, and other than my family and friends no real reason to stay in Utah.

I must admit, i have alterior motives for moving to Cali at the given time, part of me thinks it's fate, but i am okay with that! as that becomes more solidified and more "real" i will give updates on that :)

i hope everyone enjoys their thurday and then the weekend!
twilight ft the black keys tonight
boating with the crew tomorrow day
drive in tomorrow night
work saturday day
party with the boys saturday night
family time sunday
perfect weekend

love her...

2009-07-14T15:53:00.003-07:00

VP Joe Biden, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama

you killed it on days one and two :)
good thing we have 60 Democrats (YAY AL FRANKEN) in the senate now... that should make things relatively smooth for this wonderful, smart, beautiful, Latina woman!

GOOD LUCK SONIA!

two more things...

2009-07-13T10:34:00.002-07:00

reasons my monday is excellent.

i recently discovered Pandora mobile and now have access wherever i go from my phone.

i turn 21 in 21 days and can't wait for at least a week long celebration. Lagoon, boating, sky diving, friends, food, and family. perfect. then before the end of the summer a trip to AZ, Vegas, and Cali (at least Sacramento but hopefully Venice at some point as well)

dear world,
brace yourself.
love,
steph

weekend of almost bliss...

2009-07-13T10:08:00.006-07:00

it’s been a while since I’ve posted about just random weekends or days. I’m usually either making a political statement or doing a lot of catch up but this week, minus the lack of pictures, I am on top of my posting.

gosh… can I just say what an AMAZING weekend I had?! it was like I was back in high school… drama and all (but we won’t get into that).

It all started Thursday. the AmAzInG Jenny Lewis and Bon Iver were here for the first free show of the Twilight Concert Series at the Gallivan Center.

Jenny Lewis, isn't she flawless?

I went with my good friends, met up with a bunch of old friends from college, ran into a really old dear friend from high school, and met a new random friend. it was such a blast!

Friday… this is the night that made my weekend so perfect. The boys played a show at a little local coffee shop. I have a video on my phone but I can’t figure out how to get it up here so maybe later! After that, Reese’s awesome parents volunteered to fire up the grill and feed the entire crew. yummy yummy burgers and dogs!

crappy pic because it was dark but little Nick and Brennan enjoying their food.

unknown to us at the time one of our old friends who lives just across the creek from Reese’s back yard was having a shin dig. We went over to join and WOW it was pretty much every single group of friends I have partied with over the years in one awesome tree surrounded, fire blazing, music playing, river running backyard. it was definitely the most fun i have had in one night this summer so far.

Saturday I woke up, went to the gym for two hours which is a huge accomplishment since I have been slacking the past few months. I then spent 4 hours at work… I never mind because no one else is here, I jam out to my own music and get a lot of stuff done with no interruptions. After work I went to meet up with the boys. Robby, Dustin, and I went to Royal Jade for dinner… one of the few Chinese food places I thoroughly enjoy. Off to buy tickets for Bruno, pick up Reese, and get some treats to sneak in… speaking of, when I was picking up a drink to sneak in I ran into the one and only Jordyn Day Johnson. I hadn’t seen her since she has been married and it was so good to catch up for two seconds!

OH MY HELL that movie is outrageous! not sure who has seen Borat but in my opinion Bruno was not as funny and a lot more crude… I LOVE crudeness, it is one of my favorite kinds of humor so Bruno wasn’t offensive to me, parts of it just weren’t funny because it was so over the top and that is saying a lot coming from me. After the movie we just went back to Reese’s and hung out until after 2 am. It was so good just spending an entire night with some of my closest boys.

Sunday… back to the gym first thing AM. so nice! after that I came home, relaxed for a bit. Watched most of the Big Lebowski and then went to Jess Burrell’s house to celebrate Colton’s 21^st bday! WAHOO!!! I got some mean whiplash there… of course I was wrestling with the boys like I always do and Reese grabbed me so I wrapped my arms around his neck and he dove it from the highest point of the waterfall. OUCH! I hit the water wrong and got the wind knocked out of me but sure enough before ya know it I was up and playing again. just another stupid injury to add to my ever growing list. Post-swimming I went to dinner with Rob, Reese, Seth, and Dustin. by far the boys I’m closest too and essentially the original group from the Jezzabelle house. Frisbee, waterfall climbing, and playing with Reese’s inventions wore me out and so I decided to call it a night. I met up with one of my very best friends ever, Joe, and we just hung out and took it easy for the rest of the night.

it was the perfect ending to the perfect weekend. I hope the rest of the summer is exactly like that…

now a few quotes to think about…

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”

my hero… Eleanor Roosevelt. other people may act in ways we don’t like and can’t control but ultimately our relationships, actions, and choices are all our own decisions and how we handle what does come is what can make or break us. There should be no blaming anyone but ourselves for rips, tears, and full on earthquakes between people we love and are close to. Other factors that we can’t control always tie in but in the end we make the decisions.

“Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be. But, before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.”

Bob Marley. I am fffaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr from perfect. But I will also be the first to admit I can be a bitch, selfish, manipulative, and passive-aggressive. I have a hard time admitting fault when I feel like I’ve done no wrong. No matter what accusations are thrown at me I can handle them because I am independent, confident, and don’t let people walk all over me time after time. My amazing group of friends, my supportive family, and my potential to control my life and my future keep me strong. Nothing can get me down for long without a bigger, better, stronger comeback.

hope everyone else had as awesome of a weekend as me! happy Monday… and happy summmaaa time!

trouble in iran

2009-07-10T08:47:00.011-07:00

not sure how many of you follow politics, the news, or international events but for weeks there has been a lot of upheaval in

Iran

. the supreme ruler there is called the Ayatollah, then the president, and the steps down from there… well supposedly

Iran

is a democracy and the citizens get to vote for president with the Ayatollah as an over-looker of sorts. In this past election the results were completely rigged. Ayatollah backed them up because he supports the right wing, nuclear weapon loving, tyrant Ahmadinejadinstead of the democratic, more modern man that could have potentially won, Mousavi.

election investigations have shown that a lot of the tactics GW Bush used were also used in

Iran

. How does one district get double the number of votes they should have? and all to the same person? simple, they don’t. the government rigs it. how does someone who is all the way qualified to vote not get to? simple, the government frames them, tells them they have felonies, or other situations preventing them from doing so. during the protests the current/incumbent president banned all twitter, blogging, facebook, and outside journalist interaction in an attempt of hiding this tyranny from the rest of the world. but luckily with today’s technology it isn’t hard to find regardless or restrictions.

seeing all of this makes me so happy to live where I live. I think the US should do whatever we can to help the democracy of Iran… imagine not being able to vote, or voting knowing it didn’t mean anything and the Ayatollah would decide anyway, imagine getting tear gassed just for exercising your constitutional rights of freedom of speech, assembly, press, etc. I have always said IF YOU DON’T VOTE DON’T COMPLAIN. I am a bleeding liberal, proud as they come Democrat and being from Utah we all know that gets me nowhere but regardless I have NEVER missed an election. I hear so many people complain about Obama, and even McCain, Bush, whomever and my only question is… DID YOU VOTE? if not, shut your mouth… it is our civic duty to vote for our elected officials. Looking at the situation in Iran makes me realize what a right and privilege that is. I am taking this situation as an eye opening to be forever grateful for my country. regardless of the economy, whoever the president is, laws I don’t agree with, etc. I know without a doubt that I am seriously so blessed to live in this amazing place.

swarms of protestors in Tehran, the Capital of Iran

this is Neda... she was just watching the protests when the police under Ahmadinejad killed her for absolutely no reason.

she has become an international symbol of peace, the conflict in Iran and for democracy.

as Ahmadinejad's men shot tear gas into the crowds this lady stood her ground and kept protesting.

green is the international color for democracy. Mousavi used this color for his entire campaign.

GO GREEN FOR DEMOCRACY!

summer thus far

2009-06-19T11:47:00.009-07:00

i am going to start with the funniest stuff first... how many times i have hurt myself ALREADY this summer blows me away...

i don't have a picture with me that has the actual result of this but after rolling down a hill on my barbed wire roll i flew off, slid across the ground, tore up, and bruised my entire thigh. ouch.
after being warned time and time again not to play little kid tricks on someone my karma came back haha when i was least expecting it my leg got attacked and left these lovely bite marks. ouch.
after alle locked us IN my bedroom we had to break out the vents and i crawled through this tiny hole. my legs got all scratched up on the bottom where the wood was super rough. ouch.
while running to give someone a hug while slightly intoxicated, wet from the hot tub, and on slick linoleum i fell, pretty sure i got a concussion, maybe broke my elbow a little bit, and got this glory wound oh my right forearm. ouch.
one on of our many hikes i encountered something my skin absolutely didn't like. after a week of these bumps spreading all over my body i went to the doctor, wore a hot hospital gown for a few hours, and found out some weird bacteria was in me. GROSS! not contagious, don't worry :) i got some steroid cream from the doctor and it has made it almost go away. ouch.
toe day 1. hours after it happened
toe day 3

toe day 5.
after trusting brennan's judgment that we are "walking up a hill" i decided to wear flip flops. bad idea. we freakin hiked half way up bear canyon and decided to run down. i turned a corner too sharp, grabbed a branch so i didn't completely fall, and ended up smacking my toe against a rock. ouch.
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next my beautiful little sister katie turned the big 1-8 on sunday. to celebrate my parents took all of their girls (including alle) to lunch at texas roadhouse. here is katie on her sexy saddle haha
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that same sister was nice enough to invite me to joel mchale with her. his opening act was absolutely hilarious but i felt like all joel mchale did was talk about how famous he is and the fact he has a tv show. nonetheless here is a crappy pic from there haha
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a while ago senior showed me the coolest cake on her cousin's blog. since joe is the king of tie-dye it seemed to fit that i would make him a tie-dye b-day cake. with alle's assistance i went and bought all of the supplies...
make a normal cake mix, get some GEL food coloring, and divide the mix however you want, like if you want more of one color use more batter haha
we started out with some sort of order but it turned into chaos and we liked it better that way.
blurry, but alle and me with our masterpiece
rather than give everyone pieces we just dug in haha we colored the frosting too, and wrote "happy b-day" with skittles to make it even more colorful.
crazy joe in his buddhist outfit enjoying his cake
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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well i think that's all for now :) hopefully i won't take forever to get another post up here!

the gal pal house of sas

2009-05-14T10:39:00.008-07:00

a few weeks ago alle and i got our cute little town home and ever since our lives have been turned upside down! every single night we're partying here, hiking, going up the boys' cabin in Eden, playing at my pond, etc.... to say the least we have beat ourselves up! mentally and physically, okay maybe me a little more physically haha anyway... here are some pics to sum up our recent adventures...

al sal the sassbot in our cute bathroom

us crafty? weird... painting a cute sign for our keys

one of my bfff's jana came over for our housewarming party

on earth day the SLC arts council did an "earth jam" at the gallivan center with some way cool shows... i met some amazing people that have changed my life already haha

alle, me, and bree... we LOVE LOVE LOVE her

being goofy at gallivan... can't wait for twilight when this is a weekly event

this summer has been fun already at my pond because we have taken it upon ourselves to explore everywhere there is to explore. we found a way cool little trail that my grandma has named "Stephy's Spot" since Joe and i are the ones to discover it haha it is pretty sweet.

it was an overcast day but the sunset is awesome from my spot

the gal pals with Joe... this is in the meadow... the best place up there for 4-wheeling and tree climbing

all sass all the time. alle and me up at the Fla2 haha we have a flat that is great for camping but we hiked higher and found a way cool place so it's Flat Two or Fla2

some of the crew at fla2

best buds

unfortunately for the time being the only picture i have in relation to the place up in Eden is this hideous sight...
the boys used to have a house in Syracuse and we became way close with their neighbors... well they came up for a surprise visit and i was so excited and slightly intoxicated when i jumped out of the hot tub and took off running to give them a hug. bad idea. i slipped and fell HARD! i wish we took a picture of my elbow the day after because it was the size of a tennis ball, on top of that it hurt my already injured neck so awful! that's what i get haha ironically enough i found an article today saying that research shows 1 in 29 people is 50% more likely to accidentally injure themselves... I'm the 1. it was funny though... the story is well worth the bruise.

that should be about it for now..
i start school next week
i turn 21 in less than 3 months
dating life is nuts and all too complicated but as usual I'm loving every second of it.
family is excellent
friends are phenomenal

100 Days

2009-04-29T09:59:00.006-07:00

it's no secret how much i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Barack Obama. Alle and i were talking last night and decided he is such a morale booster for our country. Like him or not you can't deny that he gets attention, and agree with it or not that attention helps him get stuff done.
MSNBC.com has a slide show of Obama's hundred days here and i have checked it every day since he was inaugurated.

Today marks his 100 days... for those of you who don't know that significance i will explain.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was elected during the Great Depression he made promises to improve the standing of our country within 100 days of his first (of four elected, three completed) term. He then created the New Deal and made it possible for thousands of jobs to be created and help pull us out of our slump.

Although there is some skepticism about the credibility of measuring a 4 year term in 100 days it is still used as a guideline for the media, the president, and the world in general.

John F Kennedy once said "All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."

(Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia at the swearing in ceremony)

After months or promising change during his campaign Obama began on January 20th 2009 and has worked hard every since. No one should expect the country to be perfect after 100 days but Obama has done a great job working toward the near impossible task after the mess of the last 8 years. Countries like England, France, Venezuela and countless others have all mended their relationship with our country and like the Venezuelan president said "With this same hand I greeted Bush eight years ago. I want to be your friend" (Venezuela HATED Bush, can ya blame them?!) This echoes throughout the world. Not that it completely matters what the rest of the world thinks of us but in order to have good foreign policy and to accomplish the tasks at hand good relationships are needed. Obama has done this. Done it, done it with professionalism, style, class, and flair.

I have so many good memories of him so far but one of my favorites is when he went on Jay Leno...
He was just such a "normal" person. He called Leno "dude" and "man" along with other casual terms and a lot of good jokes. Some criticized him about this but our country is full of "real" people so why should our president have to put on a professional front all the time? He is "real" too and i love that he isn't afraid to let his true personality shine through.

To his family he made a campaign promise to get a puppy in the White House for his two adorable daughters. I will close with my favorite picture of him so far.

this picture is so awesome. this is IN the white house. it is more than where the oval office is... this is a home with a real family... who doesn't love taking a little jog with their new puppy (a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy & his Wife)? We go from G.W. Bush requiring suits and a tie to Obama who has dress down Fridays and a puppy haha

I love the man, what he has done, is doing, will do, and everything he stands for.

does anyone have a time machine i can borrow?

2009-04-20T15:17:00.003-07:00

Alle did a post a week or so ago about how bands fit times in her life. Well i always say i was born in the wrong decade. case in point. my music. when i think of who has defined the best times of my life it's the following...

last summer my musical memories included these fabulous men...tom petty & the heartbreakers...

mary jane's last dance
free fallin
american girl
etc etc etc
just sitting around the campfires listening to rob, seth, and dylan belt out the greatest tom petty covers known to man (okay i'm a little bias) is one of my favorite memories. i know those songs by heart. Tom Petty & Summer 08 will always be amazing

then fall came...

the fab 4 stepped in.
The Beatles
need i say more?
GOD, THEY ARE AMAZING!
i have always loved them but last fall i was OBSESSED. i decked my room out, read books, listened to every album (all 12 or 13 or 14... however many they had), and totally gained a new respect for their music. it is way more than about the twist & shout, yellow submarine, and happy bday song.

brrrr..... winter
i guess their subtle calm songs helped me get through the miserable version of hell on earth called winter.
Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel
better known as Simon and Garfunkel
or to me...
Simon and G-Funk
The boys made me a CD for christmas of them covering famous songs...
59th street bridge (feelin' groovy) is so happy... i love seth's cover (bias again, i know)
The Only Living Boy in New York has hands down my favorite line in any song EVER
"i've got nothing to do today but smile"
ahhhh doesn't it just give you the smiles?!

as of now...
Bobby D lies, he kicks some major ass at singing.
his folky sound mixed with the emergence of more electronic sound in his later years is so chill to listen to.
I offically decided "like a rolling stone" is our theme song for the summer. not because of the words but the sense that our big group of friends really is just chill, we're rolling stones, going where the world takes us and loving every second of it
Bob Dylan rocks my socks right off (if i ever wore them, i'm sure they'd be off)

well, there is the music that defines me. i love them all and could never choose a favorite... i might do a post later with bands from now but we'll see. they just don't even compare for the most part.

story of my life...

2009-04-16T08:58:00.004-07:00

i love this... if anyone has ever worked in an office then you should be able to relate haha

i thought i was going to be in big trouble at work this week for slacking while my boss was gone the end of last week and beginning of this week but i was just told by him that he loves my hard work, and he loves that i have such close connections with everyone i work with. to thank me i got hooked up with two free movie tickets... my work so far has given me bee's tickets a few times, jazz tickets a few times, movie tickets, dinner gift cards, treats, lunch, breakfast, etc... i love it! i really do feel so fortunate to be working for such a great company (it's great for more reasons then just all the stuff i get hooked up with haha). it has its ups and downs like any job but i wouldn't trade it for the world!

"the whole blah damn thing"

2009-04-14T13:29:00.002-07:00

thanks to a status update from an old friend on facebook i have been doing some investigating today. after a lot of research and multiple websites i found out
WEEDS SEASON 5 AIRS JUNE 8, 2009!
i don't know how much of my blog following watches that show but i know EVERYONE i have shown has become HOOKED. stoner or not, this show is still way entertaining and keeps you enthralled the whole time.

nancy botwin (main character, brunette) is so flippin gorgeous and i can't wait to see what she has in store for the next season...
also, i read a while back that season 5 would be the end but in an interview the lady that plays celia (blonde) said that they were signed on for TWO more seasons. and who knows if they'll do more after that. all i know is that the ONLY tv show i find time for EVER is now going to keep me entertained for at least 26 more episodes.
i hate tv, never watch it (except south park), never wish i had it, don't even get the most basic channels at my house, and usually fall asleep anyway but for some reason weeds has been a show i have followed since season 1. i highly recommend it (no pun intended)

dream of californication...

2009-04-11T12:07:00.006-07:00

as i have mentioned in a few posts before i have been planning a giant california road trip... well it came, it was a blast, and sadly it's already over... here are some pics to sum up our adventures through the beautiful state!

rob and me just starting out on the road. our first night we stayed in sacramento with my aunt... i scored some way sweet dishes from her. white with retro blue and green accents. totally my style.

we woke up first thing thursday morning and drove to san francisco. this is our awesome motel, totally little miss sunshine style. LOVED IT.

random stairs on a street in san fran, way cool.

the beginning of my favorite part of the trip. The Haight (pronounced "hate" but definitely not about that haha). for those of you who don't know... this area is considered to be the start of the hippie movment in san francisco. i was definitely meant to live in the 60s. oh what i would give...

isn't it beautiful? this is the spot the movement began.

i bought steph sr's girls some pretty sweet umbrellas in China Town.

rob stocked up on records at this GIANT old bowling alley turned record store in The Haight, you'd have to see this giant place to believe it.

friday morning we drove to Santa Clara and San Jose for parts of my great grandma's memorial service. after that my little sister alison decided to join us on the drive to santa cruz. she is a babe.

there, i said it. now the whole blogging world knows.

for some reason i thought it was an EXCELLENT idea to go waist deep into the ocean, first 10 minutes we were there. i was FREEZING. this is me making my journey back out.

some pretty sweet hats we found in the gift shop.

part of the fam chillin on the beach. santa cruz is SO cool. there is an amusement park right on the beach. unfortunately it was closed for a private party while we were there.

rob and me on the board walk.

ben - me - rob hanging out on the beach. after santa cruz we drove back to san fran for one more night. i insisted we stop at the haight for a second time on our way out and then we were off on a 5 hr drive to southern california to begin the 2nd half of our trip.

we got to pasadena saturday night and went to dinner with Rob's uncle Gary and his life partner Auntie Norman. the next morning i broke the shower head so we had to go here... two story target in pasadena, i was in love.

shower head repaired and off to venice. GOSH I LOVE THIS CITY, no words can describe how amazing it is. this guy was nuts. he was standing on all glass right there. he jumped from the chair that guy has one knee on and landed right on top of it. YIKES.

wrolds huh? sounds delicious.

while we were walking down the boardwalk we passed some homeless guys not much older than us jamming out on a few guitars and one kid was dropping a beat so i dared rob to go flow, and he did, and as usual he killed it...

this is the most talented person i have ever seen when it comes to yoga. gosh i couldn't believe what he was doing. i was trying to get a picture of a better pose but people kept walking in front and ruining it.

other things that happened that i didn't get pics of... i have had a really good friend scott for alomst 10 years now CRAZY but he lives in irvine playing college for a school down there so one night i was lucky enough to go see him for a few minutes. we went to in-n-out burger and oh my gosh AMAZING.

after we left pasadena we stayed with our friends Todd and Tyson in their new beautiful house in vegas. we met their crazy asian land lord and he is nuts. it is in their lease to have no shoes on in the house. tys kept saying "now steph, what would timothy do" because the guy just seemed like such an uptight prude. it was way funny.

i slept the entire way home from vegas and woke up in about south jordan to the sight of things familar to me. i had a blast but it was definitely soooo good to be back home!

happy easter :)

2009-04-10T12:28:00.004-07:00

i put a real post below this but i just got these in an e-mail forward and some of them made me laugh so i couldn't resist. the one with the "eggshell" walls is my favorite!

it's about time...

2009-04-10T07:54:00.013-07:00

geez, can you say FOREVER. i feel like such a slacker but blogger has been blocked at work and i am NEVER home to update there... so here we go haha
first... alle's bday. i think she had a great time. we celebrated a ton

chels and i went in on a gift for alle and since chels couldn't make it to the big girls' dinner we went to rumbi a few days before alle's bday.

the usual for birthdays is all the girls getting together for dinner. we're missing a few but it is always sooo good to see everyone about once a month. no i am not pregnant or fat, ash's black jacket just makes it seem that way.

we had a bday party for alle the saturday before her bday... here are only some of my hilarious decorations (oh and brennan haha)

alle and me celebrating

when alle was cleaning her room i came across some sparklers and i was so excited about it. i insisted we light them at her party. we went through 3 entire boxes.

for her bday brennan made alle a professor chaos cake (butters from South Park) it was great and we enjoyed it on her actual bday at my house.

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last night we went to applebee's for raechel's 21st bday... here are some pics from that

the five of us that made it, raechel and amanda brought taelee and gracie and they were crackin us up the entire time.

alle and me :)

amanda, raechel, and gracie

ash and taelee

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on one of the few warms days we've had lately we decided to take total advantage and go on an adventure... first we went to the layton bird preserve.
for some reason i love this picture, sassy alle, and oblivious me

we all climbed on top of the bathrooms and had a random kid take our pictures haha it was a blast

instant classic picture, alle and me walking to the tower

joe and brennan are nuts and walked on the railing all the way to the top of the tower

the crew at the top of the tower

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we decided on that beautiful day one adventure wasn't enough. no one but rob had ever been to my pond so of course i proposed the idea.

alle was too dainty (hahahaha) to do any of the cool tricks with us but she sure does look cute eating her soup

kenny volunteered to be the person letting everyone else jump over. here is seth.

here is rob's awesome jump

here is joe, spread eagle.

we found old barbed wire rolls and that was the highlight of the pond... until...

i got going WAY too fast down a hill, lost my balance, flew through the air, landed and tore up the entire back side of my leg. this is me on the ground after the event. don't worry, everyone laughed and took pictures, no one even asked if i was okay ;) haha

only after i fell did i decide to try and wrap myself around it and roll that way. SUCCESS for a few rolls, then i fell again haha

by the end of the night i was pretty good. even good enough to play frisbee while balancing.

brennan was doing way cool flips off of a rock by the pond. it made the picture look SO cool

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now here are just a few random pics of things we have been up to lately...

bday dinner for worm at Olive Garden

first campfire of the spring up at the pond, it was FREEZING

we had such a great turn out for rob's bday dinner, we could hardly fit everyone in the picture

kenny's bday party at brad's house

goofy alle and me, partyin at my house

seth and me, i don't see him nearly enough anymore

the clan driving somewhere, can't really remember

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that should be a good enough update haha other than those pics and many great adventures i decided to finally get my butt back in school, summer 09 here i come! i should graduate next may and then i really think alle and i should be considering a move to california.
work is still the same
not dating anyone at all, even a little, weird for me i know but i am okay with it
living with sr and the circus is still crazy. they're in disneyland right now so it's kind of fun to have the house alone and not have to worry about censoring ourselves for the sake of little girls haha
hmmm i think that's it! hope everyone else is having a great spring and all that jazz.
xoxo

and iiii i wanna be your girl...

2009-03-07T17:38:00.003-07:00

"...blow a kiss, and change the world"

.. lover by devendra banhart..

good blog background sites

2009-03-06T17:21:00.001-07:00

I realize every blog that I look at already has an adorable background but these are the websites I have come across that have soooo many choices it’s crazy! You could spend hours just finding the perfect one. Some are more bright and fun, others more vintage, some simple, some ornate, it just depends on your taste (and how much time you have to click through them all). Most of them are the format where you just put it in the “html/javascript” gadget, but unfortunately some revert back to the old minima template pain in the butt process… I will also be posting this down my sidebar for future reference! Enjoy :)

alliebrownslayouts.blogspot.com
blogfairy.com
blogginbeautifully.blogspot.com
cristiscreations.blogspot.com
delightfuldots.blogspot.com
frostedblogs.blogspot.com
izziegraceblogbackgrounds.blogspot.com
mybloggingdesigns.blogspot.com
scrapgrounds.blogspot.com
scrappinblogs.blogspot.com
shelsscraps.blogspot.com
simplyblogitbackgrounds.blogspot.com
simplychicblogs.blogspot.com
thecutestblogontheblock.com

it's a saturday and...

2009-02-28T11:32:00.002-07:00

i am up before 3...
not recovering from last night
and...
steph sr and i went to yoga.

luckily she felt the need to text me as she was walking out the door and i got out of bed and went. it's such a great way to start a saturday and i plan to do it every saturday from now on... wish me luck on my goal!

you may say that i'm a dreamer, but i'm not the only one...

2009-02-27T12:11:00.003-07:00

First I want to say some things about the amazing Oscars (I didn’t even see them but I have definitely looked up enough info online) A movie my dad and I have been raving about for months is “Slumdog Millionaire”.

First of all Frieda Pinto is probably the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. Just look at her from the Oscars and in the movie and you can’t help but fall in love.

This film won EIGHT Oscars. EIGHT, INCLUDING BEST PICTURE. That is crazy.

For a low budget film that almost went straight to DVD that is very impressive (and I would say well deserved)

Two of the adorable little kids in the film are straight from the slums of Mumbai, India (where the film is based). They receive payments to support themselves and their families from the profits of the film and trust funds have been set up for them whenever they graduate high school.

One of my favorite parts of any acceptance speech was Christian Colson when it won Best Picture… especially the last line…“When we started out, we had no stars, we had no power or muscle, we didn’t have enough money really to do what we wanted to do. But what we had was a script that inspired mad love in everyone who read it. ... Most of all, we had passion and we had belief and our film shows that if you have those two things, truly anything is possible.”

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Dustin Black, writer of “MILK” which won best original screenplay was originally LDS. He was moved from an extremely conservative home in Texas to California where he heard the story of Harvey Milk. He said “It gave me the hope to live my life.”

Sean Penn won best actor for this role and his speech was way good. As a background… there were protesters outside of the Oscars against gay rights saying Penn didn’t deserve to win for such a “terrible” role… well take a look now because… HE WON!!!!!!!! That explains his comments at the beginning…

“…For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame, and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are these last 2 things. I’m very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man President, and a country who, for all its toughness, creates courageous artists, and this is in great due respect to all the nominees, creates courageous artists who despite sensitivity that sometimes has brought enormous challenges”

What an amazing man… This is a film I haven’t actually seen but I would love to. I remember in my current issues class in high school learning about Harvey Milk and thinking about what a great person he is. Sean Penn is an amazing actor and I think he was perfect choice for this part. If you know me at all it’s not hard to tell I am definitely pro-gay rights (pro-everyone's rights if you get right down to it). I think they’re people too and whether or not you believe it’s “natural” I think people need to gain more respect for those people that are “different”. Even if it is a choice it’s THEIR choice and in no way shape or form does it effect you personally. Live and let live.... I guess I just don't understand why anti-gay activists don't fess up to the fact that they don't believe in equal rights for EVERYONE! it's such a horrendous stance to take IN MY HUMBLE OPINION! i am not trying to push that or convince anyone is any way shape or form.

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Done with the Oscars but onto something else.

Chris Buttars is an idiot and doesn’t deserve to hold a position in public office. Yeah Yeah Yeah freedom of speech but he is public figure. He should have a little more poise and respect than that. It’s humiliating to be from a state with such closed minded people holding positions they hold. Even Huntsman came out and said he is pro civil-unions. Talk about a slap in the face to the LGBT community. I am so glad I don’t live in his district because I would be a lot more upset about his stupid remarks than I am. Really. GAY ACTIVISTS ARE NOT AS BIG OF A THREAT TO OUR COUNTRY AS RIGHT WING RADICAL MUSLIMS. If anyone really thinks that then they need a reality check. "greatest threat to America." As he would say… really? People different than him are a greater threat then let’s say REAL terrorists? Poverty? Drugs? Global warming? The Economy? Seems kind of low on the list of things to worry about to me. If he truly believes that then he needs to get his ass out of office but I think most (level headed) Utahans would agree THERE ARE BIGGER THREATS TO OUR CITIES/STATES/COUNTRIES/AND THE WORLD. Get over yourself and get a grip on the real world. Hating LGBTs is not going to make your problem with it go away. Choose to be a bitter ass of an old man and live with it or move on and try and be as positive about your stance as you can.

This Saturday is “Buttarsapalooza” on the south lawn of the Capital from 1 to 4. It is about the LGBT community and supporters. Rather than bashing on Buttars (I’m sure quite a bit of this will happen but that’s not the main point of the day) everyone will be focusing on the real problems with our society which I mentioned above. The tagline is "this isn't a protest or a rally, it's a PARTY"

I will be there probably the whole time so it would be nice to see some familiar faces.

I realize my blog following for the most past has opposing views but regardless I think it’s an experience that everyone shold see. Being around the LGBT community would help everyone realize (with few exceptions like every “group” of society) that NORMAL, NICE, CARING people do exist even though they are “different” because of their sexual preferences.

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There is my venting for the day :) I wasn’t meaning to offend anyone or fire anyone up… This is just my place to vent my views, opinions, and frustrations when I can’t just scream at the top of my lungs.

happiness is only a few articles away

2009-02-21T14:05:00.005-07:00

On my quest to self-fulfillment i have been focusing on simply being happy a lot lately. i just try to be happy, think of good things, wiggle like i do, and just live a good life. i know i'm generally a happy person but i am always looking for more ways to go about it. what is happiness? who creates it? how do we deal with it? what does optimism do for the people around you? i found a website called happier.com. it helps people track when/why they feel down, up, and in between. the purpose is to focus on the good and try and cut out the bad. they also have really good articles posted every day about the concept and here are the two i found for today... the first one is about philosophy full of smart guys i'm sure everyone has heard of and then the second is obama's optimism effect on the country.
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Since the beginning of time, man has been concerned with how to achieve happiness. Philosophers, theologians and, later, psychologists have all tried to provide the answers.

In the Fourth Century B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristippus told us that the key to happiness was to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. He called his approach to happiness "Hedonism," the Greek word for pleasure. Decades later, Epicurus went even further and said it was man's moral obligation to maximize his experience of pleasure.

Socrates took a different tact. He believed happiness is achieved through the pursuit of virtue and knowledge (aretē and epistemē in Greek). Continuing in this vein, Aristotle wrote that man can only be happy when he identifies his virtues, cultivates them and lives in accordance with them. The idea is that we should develop what is best within us, and then apply our talents and skills to the betterment of others and our world. Socrates and Aristotle's approach to happiness is known as "Eudaimonia," loosely translated from Greek to mean happiness.

On the other side of the world, Confucius taught us that all men have the power to transform their lives: A good life is possible for everyone, not just the privileged in society. And then like Aristotle, Mencius believed that true joy in our lives is possible when we nurture "our sprouts of virtue." Zhangzi then shifted the focus to the importance of intuition, and away from the mind. He taught the power of the Dao, and how happiness comes from living in harmony with nature. Buddha then introduced "the way of the eightfold path." Buddha taught that the key to a good life was found in controlling your mind – that peace and happiness could be attained through a meditative life.

Many more have spoken and written about happiness through the centuries. Marcus Aurelius said, "Remember this, that very little is needed to make a happy life." The renaissance philosophers Erasmus and Thomas Moore believed that it was God's desire that man be happy, as long as the means taken to achieve happiness were not superficial. Benjamin Franklin wrote, "Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of the mind than on the outward circumstances." German philosopher Immanuel Kant said, "Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness."

William James, the father of modern-day psychology believed, "How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness is in fact for most men at all times the secret motive of all they do, and of all they are willing to endure." Psychologist Abraham Maslow wrote that we must satisfy our hierarchy of human needs before true happiness – self-actualization – is achieved. And psychologist Viktor Frankl emphasized man's search for meaning: Our happiness is reliant on our ability to live a life full of meaning and purpose.

Throughout recorded history it is clear that man has contemplated and pursued happiness. And the great philosophers, theologians and psychologists have helped us realize that happiness is achievable for all of us.

Whenever I needed to meet a challenge or pursue a goal when I was growing up, my grandfather used to tell me to say, "I can. I will." His guidance is relevant to all of us.

We can be happy. We will be happy. History says it's up to us.

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Suddenly, an 'up' attitude could be downright cool
Obama fuels a swing toward 'hip' optimism
By Colleen Mastony Tribune reporter
January 22, 2009

On upcoming episodes of the television show "Grey's Anatomy," more patients will be surviving. Elsewhere in Hollywood, a powerful movie director says he wants to make positive thinking the newest trend. And a group of academics, sensing a pattern, has launched a study asking Americans how hopeful they've felt since the presidential election.

Some say that it's all part of a Barack Obama-fueled boom in optimism. And it's a trend that many think could continue.

"I think optimism is going to be the new cool," said Rick Cleveland, a television writer who has worked on "The West Wing," "Six Feet Under" and "Mad Men." Obama, he said, "can be the torchbearer" for the new positivity.

If you've been feeling good about the future, you're not alone. A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted last week found that 79 percent of Americans are optimistic about the next four years under Obama. That's the highest level of optimism for an incoming president in five administrations. And it's not just Democrats who are feeling upbeat: 58 percent of respondents who voted for Sen. John McCain said that they were feeling optimistic too."There is a palpable sense of sincerity and earnestness now," said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. "You could feel it at 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, after they called the winner."

Throughout the campaign, Obama sounded the themes of "hope" and took aim at cynicism. In Grant Park on Election Night, he talked about restoring the hope among "those who've been told for so long, by so many, to be cynical." And he declared that, "where we are met with cynicism," we will respond with the creed "Yes, we can."

Certainly, hopes could be dashed by failure and scandal. But the inauguration of the first African-American president served as a vivid reminder of how obstacles that once seemed insurmountable can eventually be overcome.

Could "The Audacity of Hope" become a new national motto? Hollywood seems to think so.
J.J. Abrams, the director of the upcoming movie "Star Trek," told Entertainment Weekly in October that he wants to help make optimism "cool again."

Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," says she and the writers—all Obama supporters—are feeling so encouraged by Obama's victory that they're creating more hopeful story lines in which doctors are accomplishing more surgical victories and "more patients are living."

And Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of "Saturday Night Live," recently predicted that viewers will be looking for more positive messages on television.

"Lorne really believes that audiences will be looking for things that are more hopeful or earnest," said Cleveland, who is working with Michaels on a pilot.Karen Reivich, a researcher with the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, sees Obama as our country's chief optimist. In many of his speeches, he doesn't ignore the nation's problems but instead points out what people can control, Reivich said. Obama also has cultivated a sense of inclusiveness, often talking about "we" and "us." Both are techniques used by psychologists to teach people how to live more optimistically.

"Optimism gets a bum rap. People say, 'Oh that's silly, you're putting your head in the sand,' " Reivich said. "But Obama models thoughtful optimism."

In the days after the election, researchers at Penn noticed anecdotal evidence of an "optimism bounce"—people suddenly feeling more positive about the future.

The researchers launched a study to confirm whether people really are feeling more positive and, if so, to track how long the feeling lasts.

Whether we will become a more optimistic nation remains to seen. But experts say a sunnier outlook could help the country through increasingly dark times.

"When hit with a challenge, an optimistic person can find more creative ways to solve the problem and is more likely to bounce back if something goes wrong," said Andrew J. Rosenthal, a researcher at Penn. "Optimism can be the difference between someone who succeeds and someone who fails."

Experts' advice to America: Say it all together now,

YES WE CAN!

one more thing...

2009-02-14T13:35:00.004-07:00

a while ago i discovered the most amazing website ever. if you have the internet on your phone you also need to discover this website. it is

zedge.net
it is so easy to use, totally free, and just awesome.

straight from your computer you can upload any song. select 29 seconds from it, save it, and have it as a ringtone on your phone! if you don't want to upload then they already have MILLIONS of other songs you can just search for and choose.

on top of ringtones you can upload pictures and they format them for you so you select what kind of phone you have and fit it to your screen perfectly.

go there... you won't regret it.

oh and this man..

2009-02-14T13:14:00.002-07:00

if he were still alive and not married to yoko i think i would make him my valentine. yes, i would definitely make him my valentine.
for those of you who aren't familiar... this would be john lennon's self portrait. beautiful.

my valentines

2009-02-14T12:40:00.009-07:00

this is the first time since i was a jr in high school i haven't had just one boy to celebrate valentine's day with... i have multiple people that i love and they love me back. yesterday at work steph sr was listening to the moulin rouge soundtrack and the moral of the story keeps popping into my head

"the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return"

i don't have a mushy tribute to my husband or boyfriend (mostly because i don't have either haha) but i do have a lot of valentine's that deserve a shout out.

miss alle.... i love this girl with all of my heart. we have been inseperable the last couple of weeks and i have been having a blast! best friends since sr year we have had our ups and downs but in the end i know she is my rock and i am hers. what am i going to do when she moves away to grad school? shoot i better save up now because i will be flying out there to visit A LOT!!!

steph sr.
i don't want to elaborate too much here because i just did a big post on her for her birthday but she just needs to know that i love and admire her with all of my heart. she has her life in such a good place right now and i couldn't be more happy for her. she has a great house, great kids, great guy, and a bright future! i love you daphne!

chelsea ann

oh man where to start with this one. sophomore year of high school and together ever since. this girl has evolved more than anyone i know. she is in constant effort to improve and better her life and does whatever it takes to get here. we are definitely polar opposites now but we still love each other deeply and i couldn't imagine my life without this one.

the boys. you've all read it a million times before but i love them more than words can explain. this isn't a very good picture but it's the only one i can find with these three in it. i can count on these boys more than anyone and we have such a crazy close connection. i am convinced i will marry one of them some day.

the family

lately i have been making extra efforts to let everyone in my family know i love them. random visits to my grandparents, inviting my brother and sisters over for movie night or just to hang out, calling my mom and dad just to say hi and tell them i love them. i have seen so many families with divorce, fighting, disowning, and distain for each other and i am grateful for one thing more than any of my other blessings. my family is togther, everyone gets along, we're in one piece, and we are all so supportive of each other.

housewarming/happy bday steph sr party

2009-02-14T11:25:00.006-07:00

we decided a long time ago to have a party... started planning... forgot about... decided against it... then last minute we decided to follow through! i am soooo glad we did. it ended up being a blast! steph sr got to meet my friends, i got to meet her awesome sister and her husband... and everyone got along great sharing drinks, stories, and songs! all in all it was such a successful night and we can't wait for Alle's 21st bday bash!!

my two favorite girls ever on top of each other. Love it!

jana, trisha, alle, and me! it was way good seeing them!

a way good unexpected surprise! Raechel, Taelle, Me, Amanda, and Gracie

somehow the two stephs (along with everyone else) ended up in a big pile on the floor

we hang out with some sexy boys as steph sr would say haha

just a classic cheesy pic of us

a party wouldn't be complete without a jam session from my boys

a great mom to the circus and me, my best friend, my roommate, and my hero

2009-02-04T23:33:00.010-07:00

i know i'm a few minutes early but i don't know if i would have a chance to do it tomorrow...

team steph, the stephs, double stuffed steph, s squared, jr & sr... so many good names for us i couldn't pick just one!

Today the one and only Stephanie Tomlin turned 30. Let’s just say her 20s weren’t the best years of her life but she is planning on making her 30s the best ever. She looks better, feels better, and has it a lot better than looking back over the past year or two. I was talking with West (her amazing boyfriend) on what to do for her birthday since she has never really had anyone to celebrate it with and I think we will make this birthday one for her to remember. Her girls are so considerate and they approached me about getting their mom presents because they don’t ever remember her having a fun birthday so we had a little shopping trip and they wanted to get her everything they saw because in the words of Brynn “she earned it”. She always says her birthday was celebrated with a cake next to the food at her ex’s family’s super bowl parties. How sad… she hates football and resents the super bowl for that reason haha

We met at work about a year ago when she was just finalizing a divorce and had moved to bountiful from vernal to start over with her four gorgeous girls. At first we didn’t like each other due to a dramatic former employee from our work but after all of that cleared up we became really close. Starting out as work friends, then gym friends, then shopping buddies, then random hang outs, and now we work, go to the gym, shop, live together, and hang out with each other. My dad thought when we moved in we would be with each other too much and it would be hard but I love it. Our social lives are EXTREMELY different (single 20 yr old vs. 30 yr old single mom with four daughters) and I think that is the break we need from each other for her not to kill me haha

Now I get to gush about her. She can put it on her “I rock” blog haha
Steph as the girls’ mom: She has been a single mom for a little over a year but more like her kids’ entire lives. Her ex was always on the rig, or out on the field, or just out and about doing various things other than being a husband and dad haha… She is the perfect mother. Her girls always have the cutest outfits, cutest hair, and accessories. She is amazing cook, knows every shortcut and trick that is to be known. On top of the “mom” stuff she maintains such a good relationship with her girls. She knows when to be “mom” and when to be a friend, boss, teacher, helper, and listener or whatever. I look at how she raises her girls and it’s always how I have imagined raising my future little ones. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything and tells it how it is. Her openness is awesome. She always asks who the girls have crushes on and specifics about their lives so in the future they will be comfortable talking about sex and relationships and stuff. It’s such a good idea.

Steph as my mom: Even before we lived together I would find myself calling her “what temperature do I wash on my jeans on?” “How do I clean (insert said item here)?” “I just ruined this… how do I fix it?” Now that I live with her it’s a lot more common than just a phone call. It's an everyday occurrence that I ask her advice on something domestic and without fail she knows the answer about what does and doesn’t go in the dishwasher, how to clean, wash, organize, and prioritize. There are so many traits and tips she has educated me on that I never would have thought of before. My domestic side is increasing because of her… it’s still not anything impressive by any means but she is helping me haha

Steph as a roommate: Winter in Utah sucks… so does our driveway. BAD BAD BAD combination. But every morning that it has snowed I wake up to find both sides of the driveway very nicely shoveled. She has it down to an art. Now she doesn’t even fall when she does it :-) I know I don’t even come close to doing my fair share around the house. I clean the bathroom the girls and I share, the downstairs living room and then do the dishes occasionally but she never nags, never complains, and if it does bug her she doesn’t say anything haha I come home all hours of the night and have people over whenever I want and she’ll chime in and say “hi” to make sure she meets all of my friends and everyone ends up loving her.

Steph as my hero: Gosh I don’t even know where to start. HOW DOES SHE DO IT ALL?!?! I don’t know if she’ll care that I say this but I mean it all as compliment so I am going to anyway ha she can deal with it. From the time she was 20 up until September 2007 she was a housewife. A damn good one but that’s all she was. She stayed home with the kids and that was the life she lived and the life she loved. When she decided to divorce her ex she found herself in an unknown world. She was then a single mom with no job, very limited sources of income, and all of the bills and other hassles to worry about. Within just a few weeks she found her own place (she was staying at her dad’s until then), a job, a great daycare, and just a little after she found a date with west. Already just a month of two after divorcing she was semi-back on her feet. Things were great like that for a while but she is determined to have her girls grow up in the best way possible. So… she bought a house. Not just any house THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE. The girls love it because the back yard is their playground since it is on a mountain side. She gets stressed, she vents, and complains but when it comes down to it she has a smile on her face and the best attitude about anything and everything. How she went from a housewife to a business woman, home owner, and still keeping up on being the best mom ever is beyond me and I don’t know how she does it. I feel overwhelmed and I only have me to worry about. She leaves me speechless and she will forever be one of the best examples I’ve ever had to look up to as well as my best friend and closest confidant.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM/SR/DAPHNE/STEPH/TOMMY/WONDERWOMAN

livin' in a munchers paradise

2009-02-01T17:19:00.005-07:00

last night at seth/tay's house we were all just hanging out then all of a sudden tay walks in with a plate full of cookie. he found the smallest glass baking dish they have and lined the bottom with cookie dough. baked it in the oven and then and topped it with a little chocolate syrup.
he was nice enough to let me have a bite which was a bad idea because it just left me craving more. so now i'm home (boycotting the superbowl) and i am making my own munchi-sized cookie. we don't have any chocolate syrup here so i improvised with ice cream and it is everything you would imagine it to be.
i understand this is essentially the same thing as eating possibly 3 or 4 other cookies but it just seems so much better to have one big one. i highly recommend trying this at home.

what a good way to spend a sunday... football free with a delicious cookie.

livin' the dream

2009-01-27T19:13:00.004-07:00

Boredom at work can do this to you…. I have spent the day looking up ideas on how to decorate my room, finding good quotes, and planning a much anticipated trip to California with the boys.

First my room… CRAZY is all I can say. It will have lime green, teal, pink, black, orange, white, and a little purple. I have different ideas for each wall and with the help of my friends it should be done fairly quick… pictures to come! It might be a little overwhelming but I figure I’m only young once and Steph would repaint the walls as soon as I move out regardless of what I do… even if I left them tan so I might as well have some fun with it. One of my friends is going to do a mural on my wall and I told him that I want “Imagine” by John Lennon, “59th Street Bridge (Feelin’ Groovy)” by Simon and Garfunkel, and “Every body Must Get Stoned” by Bob Dylan along with some other songs I want to make a playlist to listen to over and over for inspiration while all of this decorating is going on.

Other than my room living with Steph is great! Her girls are amazing and I love being in a crazy house all the time. Definitely a change from living by myself but a good one I think. She is the most wonderful mother I have ever met (besides mine of course) and I don’t know how she does all that she does and remains and bright and cheerful as she usually is haha

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While doing research on what the boys and I will do in San Francisco I came across some really cool quotes. If you keep up on my blog you may have noticed I use quotes a lot. Sometimes other people just say it better than I could.

Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it. . . . It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more.
Erica Jong

I do my thing, and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful.
Frederick E. Perl

He now has a very tolerant and therefore withering attitude toward all those who are still struggling in the old activist political ways . . . while he, with the help of psychedelic chemicals, is exploring the infinite regions of human consciousness.
Tom Wolfe

There was a band playing in my head, and I felt like getting high
Neil Young

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One of my quotes is by Erica Jong… I wasn’t sure who she is but I LOVED her quote so I did research and came across some mock questions she would have asked Obama and McCain if she would have had the chance during the campaigns. She is so straight up and covers some great points.
1. What does the Iraq War have to do with the financial meltdown?
2. Can we afford all our wars, all our military bases, and still help our own people as well? Why is PEACE a dirty word in the debates?
3. What are the risks involved with China buying our debt?
4. What are the risks involved with Chinese children being well-educated for free and our children not?
5. Why are Americans so queasy about taxes? There are certain things only government can do. (Disaster Relief, Response to Climate change, Space Exploration, Health Care, Education, Bank Bailouts, etc.) Why do we pretend this is not true? Why do we pretend it doesn't cost anything?
6. What is the problem with a mixed economy: part capitalist, part socialist? We have had such an economy since the Great Depression and World War II. It has served us well. It has made us prosperous. Why the fear of it? Why does the word "socialist" make us quake? We seem not to mind socialist for the rich -- or for Congress.
7. When will we get real about education? When will we realize we can't afford the dumbest generation in a global world?

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A few weeks ago my great grandma passed away due to old age… rather than do a funeral right after she was cremated and in order to give my huge family time to coordinate we are having a memorial for her in San Jose, CA in March. The boys are coming with me since they are super close with my family (especially my dad’s side) and we are planning a whole road trip through California. First stop Sacramento where they will hopefully play a show at a really cool lounge that my aunt is hooking them up with. Next, San Francisco. Haight Ashbury… need I say more? AMAZING! San Jose is just for the memorial and we will be passing through there and maybe visiting the Winchester Mansion. Monterey… Rob’s dad told us about some really cool aquariums and aviaries so we’ll be getting in touch with nature a little bit while we’re there. Then down the coast to stay with Rob’s Uncle Gary in Pasadena and from there going to Venice Beach and an amusement park of our choice.
I can’t believe I have been friends with the boys for so long and have never been on vacation with them. I can’t wait!

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Random topics but I had a lot to cover. I hope everyone is getting through miserable winter alright! I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I can’t wait for summer… campfires, boating, the outdoors, more friends coming around and WARMTH!!! Ahhh if only it didn’t seem so far away. 2009 has been great so far. I think 2008 was “my self-defining year with a lot of major life changes” and 2009 will be my “have a blast with who I am and the people I love year". I have no one to worry about but myself. The freedom to go on vacations whenever I want, hang out with whoever I want, and go crazy whenever I want :-) gotta love the simple life. "Livin' the dream" as Branden always says.

"Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King Jr could walk. Martin Luther King Jr walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so we can all fly."

2009-01-20T18:22:00.005-07:00

I just want to say that I really truly very strongly believe that we made a major change for the better as far as the condition of our country goes. Not that it takes much to be a step up but I think Obama will blow GWB out of the water. His first few years he'll have some struggles cleaning up the disaster(s) W left us with but once everything is in Barack's hand our country will be such a better place. Yes... he may be extremely liberal but i think that is what is helping him. Seriously... how many other Democrats do you know that would choose a radical far right minister to say a prayer at their inauguration? Open minds... that is what our country needs and that is what Obama has and will put to good use. Obama doesn't care about political party or beliefs from within that category. Look at his cabinet, advisors, allies in the Senate, friends, and other associates... He believes that each person is good and he will do whatever he can to make sure each person gets what they deserve whether it be the right to get married if you're gay, let women have the rights to their own bodies, provide as many people as possible with health care without a drastic spike in taxes, pretty much entitle everyone to their own rights as long as it isn't destroying the rights of anyone else. The fact our country finally got away from the typical rich white male reflects really well to the rest of the world. We are growing up... our country is continually moving in the right (LEFT) direction as far as the emancipation of the slaves, to civil rights, to a black president... He is soooo amazing and I have had non-stop butterflies since yesterday at 10 am when I realized in 24 hours our country is on the right track for improvement. Of course everyone has heard the speculation about the amount of security or the possibility of Obama being killed and of course I hope that doesn't happen BUT if it does we have Biden, Pelosi, and Clinton next in line. Worse comes to worst and our country is still in way better hands than Bush or McCain. But this isn't about them... Obama raised all of his money from people like me... yes i donated... probably more than my budget allowed for but I believe it was for a good cause and it paid off... No lobbyists, no big corporations, no inside deals, and up until the very end not even government funds. HE DID IT ALONE well with the help of his campaign staff but he raised enough money to win an election with money only from his supporters. No bribes, dirty money or anything... bottom line I THINK with my semi-educated opinion that Obama is the best thing for our country at this time and after 8 years of going down the drain I am proud of myself and any one else that supported such an amazing person.

i wanna be your lover... i wanna be your friend

2009-01-13T19:07:00.007-07:00

this past weekend i had the chance to go with two of my best friends to vegas for the perfect vacation! we all needed a break and this was just the trick... we got attacked by a GIANT tumble weed, met some way cool people, rode an awesome ride, spent way too much money, and most importantly had the time of our lives! here are some of my favorite pictures...

things i learned in 2008...

2009-01-12T19:28:00.003-07:00

Rather than listing my favorite memories of the year I am going to list the things I learned. I feel like 2008 was the most defining year of my life so far and I am a completely different person than I was in 2007. I have moved (twice), lost an old friend and gained her back, strengthened old relationships, and lost a long lasting one, met an amazing boy, and most importantly found myself… or at least took a bigger step toward that.
I learned….
- It’s okay to ask for help, that’s what loved ones are there for and when the time comes I hope they know they can ask me for anything…
- It’s okay to apologize; it doesn’t make you any less strong. In fact it makes you stronger…
- Showing a little appreciation goes a long way and the karma comes back around…
- Two people can love each other but it doesn’t mean it’s meant to be…
- The value of a friendship is far more important than false accusations, and rumors…
- Materialism isn’t everything; spending time with loved ones is…
- Getting older has its pros and cons, there is not getting around it…
- Being upset is a waste of time; if you can’t change it deal with it, if you can change it then fix it. Don’t dwell on negativity…
- Not everyone is as open minded as me and I need to accept that…
- My vote does count, and I strongly believe our country will be better because of the outcome of the election…
- Being young, independent, and smart gets you far…
- Give everyone a chance; the outcome of an unexpected relationship may surprise you…
- Give everyone a second chance and maybe a third; people can change for the better…
- That being a mom is hard and I have taken mine for granted the past 20 years (no I don’t have kids, I just live with four beautiful little girls and their wonderful mother) …
- You win some you learn some. You may lose something/someone important to you but a valuable lesson is always gained…
- Honesty is the best policy. Period…
- Nothing good comes from restricting yourself, feel free to grow, learn, try new things, and expand your mind…
- Doing a good deed a day not only helps the receiver but the giver as well…
- Confidence is an extremely beneficial and positive trait to have…
- Life isn’t fair but you have to roll with the punches or you’ll get trampled…

Quotes to live by…

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans” John Lennon

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." John Lennon

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.” Eleanor Roosevelt

my amazing blessing

2008-12-23T21:28:00.003-07:00

“Maybe that’s all I need to make my life complete…Cause girl I can make you smile”
Oh man… he sure can make me smile!
Back on March 28th, 2008 I joined Gold’s Gym so I could go work out with Steph Sr. and Courtney… about 8:15 that morning I talked to a boy named Branden about signing up and I made an appointment to go in that day after work at 5:15. I showed up at 5:30 and who knew what a drastic impact that day would have on my life. I immediately felt comfortable and within the first few minutes of our meeting I got in an argument with him (all because of Chels not being able to use the Layton Gold’s haha). After I got signed up I started talking to him every day that I was there… at that point it was about 5 days a week (I’ve been slacking lately) and we became closer and closer as gym friends… then we started texting each other a lot but I thought he was a “good boy” and he thought the same about me which we all know is not accurate haha
Because of our misinterpretations of each other it took us forever to finally start hanging out on a regular basis but since September I have seen him probably about 5 times a week, if not more… I think he has had more of a positive optimistic influence on me than ANYONE! I am generally a really happy person but compared to him I’m like the Grinch… he is SOOO happy and nice and honest and sincere and AMAZING! He kind of has a “let it be” attitude just like me… no matter what happens or how much stress he is going through he always has a smile on his face and a good attitude.
When I’m grumpy or having a bad day he is the first person I call because he’ll answer the phone “hey good lookin” or “what’s up beautiful” or “baby, how are you” and just from the first line of our conversation he makes me smile. I call him every day when I leave work at 5 and unless he’s busy at work we’ll chat for about 20 minutes and then just a few hours later I’m at his house almost every night until well past my bed time. We can’t get enough of each other and never run out of awesome movies to watch, songs to listen to, and insightful things to say. On top of loving just being around each other we are SO compatible. We have the same beliefs on religion, politics, work ethic, and morals… We both come from phenomenal families with parents who love each other very much and siblings we are very close to. Right now in my life I am “in search of myself” so I don’t want to commit to anyone at all especially since I have spent pretty much the last three and a half years semi-committed. But if it came down to it he would be the only boy I would even consider. Since I started talking to Branden all of the other boys I would just randomly hang out with have slowly dwindled away to almost no one. I have him, his roommates, and my boys. I am so blessed to have such an amazing positive influence on my life. I don’t think he realizes how much he means to me. He always tells me that I’m amazing and that he loves how happy I am all the time but I don’t think it was until I started hanging out with him a lot that I actually decided to be happy all the time. Even Chels, Ash, Alle, my sisters, my parents, and others have told me they noticed the increase in optimism and happiness in my life and about 90% of that can be accredited to him whether he believes it or not. So this post is just to thank him and let everyone know how unbelievably lucky I am to have such a wonderful person in my life.

a shout out to my sanity

2008-11-20T20:40:00.002-07:00

I know I have posted about them before but I love them sooo much and I want to give them another tribute. Lately our group has consisted of Dustin, Rob, Seth, and me and the occasional other visitor but for the most part we 4 are together everyday! There are no words that can explain what they mean to me. It's like I'm in love. Left speechless! They make me smile, laugh, feel amazing, and treat me awesome.

I have two little sisters that are beautiful, smart, and crazy girls! The advice I always give them is to find their own "boys" everyone I know refers to them as "Steph's boys" or "the boys" because of how close we are. I think every girl in the world would be so much better off to have a group of friends like these guys. You have to know us to know the connection but it is phenomenal, amazing, extraordinary, and mind-boggling.

Last week Seth called and said they had a surprise for me and needed to come over. Next thing I know they show up at my house with my favorite "essentials" popcorn, hot chocolate, marshmallows, and lemonade. "Munchies" are a necessity at my house and since I used to always take them to their old house they decided to return the favor and I was sooo happy about it!

For Christmas I am getting an album made by them with my favorite songs being covered and a lot of songs each of them have written themselves. But shhhh…. It's a surprise haha. They are AMAZING musically. The best thing in the world and something I miss a lot is just lying in Seth's bed, wrapped in the blanket Chels and I made him just listening to them jam out.

On Tuesday night the boys came over and Reese was with them. Seth brought some wine and I don't have a cork screw for it so Reese went out to his truck and got a drill and some pliers. He drilled a screw into the cork, hooked the pliers to the screw and pulled out the cork. It was the funniest thing ever but it worked well. I will have to put up pictures because it was awesome.

Dustin is so funny… one day I said I wish the world was like a musical and people would just burst into song. It would be HILARIOUS! Ever since that night he has taken it upon himself to do that exact thing no matter where we are. Wingers, my house, in the car, shopping, whatever! He doesn't even hold back. He just lets it out and he has the most amazing voice I've ever heard. Some of you have heard him and can back me up on that!

Rob… oh where to start. He is my sanity, my best friend, and my favorite confidant. I have the tendency to lose things around my house in strange places (a candy bowl, cupboard, basket full of lotion, etc) even if he would have no idea where the particular item is all I have to do is call him and as soon as we get off the phone I find it. Sounds crazy but it's happened at least 10 times! Definitely my back bone and the support I need no matter what.

Seth seth seth… my little nomad. He has the most free spirit you could ever imagine in a person. Lately I have been feeling especially close to him. Both of us are fairly recently out of serious relationships so we find comfort in each other without even talking about the exes. His hugs, random texts, surprises, and the amazing conversations we have made us so interconnected it's like we are the same person.

Todd is my boyfriend. Gosh i have so many memories with him and we always make sure we call each other to reminisce whenever something pops up. If timing and religion were right there isn't a doubt in my mind this is the boy i'd end up with forever. The past three years he has been on a mission and living in Vegas the majority of the time so i don't see him as often as i would like but being with him is when i feel the most comfortable and loved.

Reese… he may not come around that often anymore because of his crazy busy schedule but he deserves a message too. UNBELIEVABLE is the only way to describe him, gorgeous, intelligent, creative, crazy, bad boy charm, and quite possibly the love of my life. Give him any project and he can do it… A hidden basement door, a harmonica holder, a half pipe for skate boarding, and anything else, big or small. He can do it.

A lot of the people that follow my blog know these guys so they can attest to everything I have said. For the past 5 years they have been there for me. Our relationships have grown, and dwindled, and grown again but the past two years have definitely been at the height of our closeness. I am eternally grateful for the influence and impact they have had on me.

the people i love the most

2008-11-15T17:20:00.004-07:00

don't overlook the fact i actually put a real post up... just thought i'd add some recent pictures as well... steph and me at the Sawyer Brown concert

no one will ever truly understand how much these boys mean to me... they keep me sane!

jana and me having a rainy campfire with our hawaii football boys

best friends reunited

my younger sisters and me at dinner for alison's 16th birthday

ridding myself of the status quo

2008-11-15T17:09:00.003-07:00

"If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person." Fred Rogers

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Howard Washington Thurman

It has been a while huh?! Blogger being blocked at work really sucks!! Anyway… hmmm what is new with me? I have been feeling so antsy lately… just bored with where I work, who I date (details below), where I live, and what I’m doing with my life. Moving out of state has crossed my mind, changing majors, moving in with Steph, changing jobs among other things are all options. I may be selfish but I think I’m sooo lucky to be at a point in my life where I only have to care about what makes ME happy… no one else. Yeah I’m a bitch but I’m 20, single, making my own money, choosing my own fate, and being COMPLETELY independent. It’s such a good feeling and hopefully I come to a conclusion that makes me content soon…Well… Steph and I have successfully found a few houses that we want to move into! As soon as on of the offers goes through we will be in there! Hopefully before Christmas but that’s my optimistic side talking. Living with her and her girls would be so different than anything I’ve ever done but I love them and they love me :-) I’m sure Steph could use my help with the circus and I would love being there!

A few weeks ago my parents took us four kids on a cruise to Mexico for Katie and Alison’s UEA and my Fall Break. It was the first family vacation we’d been on since summer before I was in 8th grade when we went to Hawaii! Way too long… It was a blast and I loved the cruise but by the end I was feeling kind of claustrophobic on that ship. I also met an amazing boy there that just so happened to be from Utah as well so I have been keeping in touch with him too.

Now the dating details. Josh and I have been on the rocks for quite some time. Both dating other people but for the most part hiding it from each other and just making our situation worse. One night about two weeks ago he wrote me out of the blue on a totally unrelated subject and I just knew it was time so I told him I was completely done. No more “dating other people, unofficial title, don’t ask don’t tell blah blah blah” Luckily we ended on good terms and if I saw him now I would give him a big hug and I hope he knows how much I still care about him but we both knew it was time to move on with our lives. What made it especially hard was the fact that we do get along sooo well as people but the timing and the direction of both of our lives was off. For those of you who keep up on my blog a while ago I posted about an amazing boy, since then I took that post down but I have still been hanging out with him a lot… going on almost 4 months believe it or not haha definitely a record for me J at the gym there is a new guy working (actually took over for the “amazing boy” when he got moved to a different gym) I have a good feeling about him and Steph approves so we’ll see where that road leads. Officially I have been “single” for quite some time but cutting off all contact recently with Josh has made me realize how many amazing guys are out there that I haven’t given a chance because I always knew I’d go back to Josh eventually. This time is different and I have the best feeling about it. GOSH I AM SINGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For someone who has never had any desire to EVER get married especially as young as I am being single is the way to go. I have my whole life to be tied down so why start now?!

In the words of Tom Petty “she said I dig ya baby but I’ve got to keep movin on” Story of my life. Constantly feeling the need for change…

favorite quotes

2008-10-07T15:13:00.002-07:00

"when you're about to sink you'll figure out a way to swim out of the sea" Tina and how i will survive when my karma gets back to me

"it's all good, it just means i get to be excited twice" Jake referring to his "short term memory loss"

"does anyone want this camera, it's broken but does anyone want it" Seth being Seth

"i was pacing myself thinking about the constitution and stuff" Rob, no explanation

rebecca: "my e-mail is rebecca.blue@...."
madison: "wait, why do you have the word 'dot' in your e-mail address
rebecca: "it's not spelled out, it's just a dot"
madison: "oh i get it... wait, what, so it's d-o-t right?"
rebecca: "no, never mind"
steph: "it's a period"
madison: "i get it for real this time"
(about 1 minute later)
madison: "steph, write it for me, i don't get it"

this is an old one:
"he was talking and lost his train of thought but then he found it" Chels referring to a conversation

those make sense to absolutely no one else but if i didn't get them written down somewhere i would forget. when i need a good laugh I'm glad i can do so at the expense of my friends :-)

elections

2008-10-01T14:04:00.002-07:00

"If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress"
~Barack Obama

I can't believe the elections are so soon! 1 MONTH AND 3 DAYS!!! I am so excited to be able to vote in a presidential election for the first time! well i guess the primaries count, my dad always says those are more important because that is when you choose who runs for your party. I voted for Obama then and I intend to do so the November 4th. I have successfully registered at least 10 people to vote all by myself. It amazes me that people don't vote and don't realize the impact it has on each and every persons' life! the two links I'm putting on here are way cool websites!

voteforchange.com
Barack Obama's website to help register voters. If you register here it doesn't mean you are choose Obama, it is just an easy step by step website to use

http://www.politicalcompass.org/
I took this quiz then i was a Jr in high school. i love it because it so multidimensional and for those that don't completely understand everything about politics this helps determine where you stand! if anyone decides to take it and look where other people stand i am about two points off the Dalia Lama